New Beginnings
by Crossover Diva
Summary: After the release of Apocalypse, Rogue is trying to cope with the suffocating pressure of being responsible and being coddled as her friends worry about her.  Can the untouchable survive the summer? ROMY Goodness  Rewrite of my story "Save Me"
1. Miss Independent

For some this may be their first time reading any of my work. The last time I posted was approximately 7-9 years ago. Yeah, that's a long time. Since then, I've continued to write. I've always loved writing. And I've actually rewritten some of my stories using techniques and, simply put, the sophistication that maturity will provide one with time. For those who may actually have read my work from so long ago, I hope that you can appreciate the reimagining of a story told in new light and language. To all: Enjoy.

**FYI:**  
>I don't own any of the characters and I don't own "Miss Independent" by Kelly Clarkson.<p>

However, I do own a copy of "Deadpool: Fear Itself #1" and am anxiously awaiting #2!

**Chapter 1: Miss Independent**

Rogue lay on her side, gazing out the glass balcony doors that allowed for a sweeping view of the institute's grounds. There were certainly days that she didn't feel like dealing with others, this being one of them, but was forced to because there were simply too many people around. While, she didn't necessarily dislike Kitty being her roommate, she just would have preferred to have her own room.

She closed her eyes and allowed the loud pop music to flow over her and sighed. She would have to steal the CD later and scratch it and just hope that Kitty didn't have a backup at the ready. But in the meantime "Miss Independent" thumped from the corner where Kitty was in some vague sense working on her homework-as long as doing homework resembles dancing and grooving with one's eyes closed, seated or otherwise. Kitty was the only person thus far to even make an attempt at working on her summer homework assignments. Granted, Kitty was in all honors classes and actually liked school.

Rolling her eyes at Kitty's antics, she grabbed her pillow and hugged it tightly to her chest as she once more showed her back to her roommate. She hated how the lyrics seemed to describe her far too acurately. She really was little miss keep-your-distance. And she did have to keep her heart protected. What good could it possibly do for her to feel something only to have the crushing reality rip her heart out in the end. She'd never be able to be with another person, not in the long run. No guy would ever date someone who was quite literally untouchable. She frowned as the song began to describe a softened heart opened up to love. Flames of jealously licked at her, starting in her stomach and spreading quickly. It was so easy for everyone else. She hoped that no one would ever try and open the door for her. It would hurt far too much when she realized that she'd never be allowed to step through.

Rogue squeezed her eyes shut and forced the tears back. She couldn't...she wouldn't start crying over something that could not be changed. _Please give me the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know what I cannot. _When she reopened her eyes, her vision blurred for a moment with unused tears and then cleared, focusing on one of the many objects strewn across her bedside table. She pushed herself up slowly, leaning on one elbow as she reached forward and picked up the top playing card from a deck: the queen of hearts.

Quickly her thoughts shifted from anger and frustration to a strange new feeling that had been creeping up on her lately. In her mind's eye, she could see tall man who'd once given her this same card but from a different deck. He had long auburn hair that hung carelessly about his face, framing red on black eyes. A goatee decorated his chin and added credence to his devil-may-care appearance. She dropped the card as if afraid that this one would also blow up on her, but it didn't as it drifted lazily to the ground and slipped under her bed.

She hadn't seen him since that incident, at least not that she remembered. However, she'd been informed that she'd broken into Magneto's base and stolen each of the acolyte's powers before disappearing only to be found with Mystique in Tibet. She shook her head slowly but it did nothing to dislodge her lost memories from that time. Apparently, he had volunteered to be with Logan on the rescue team that had come to find her when she'd released Apocalypse. _Why would he do that? Why would he care to come find me?_

Rogue glanced over her shoulder to see that Kitty was back to actually reading her text book, although her head was still bobbing methodically to the music that played. Kelly Clarkson's soulful voice provided the background to Rogue's escape from the room. She was halfway down the hall and contemplating where it was that she'd like to go when a tickling touched at the edge of her brain before she could clearly hear the professor's voice.

_Rogue, would you join me in my office, please?_

With a small sigh of frustration, she obliged as she switched directions and found herself standing outside of a pair of varnished doors. She was about to knock when the door was opened for her by Ororo. "Hey, Storm."

"Rogue," came Ororo's simply response but her face was lit by a beautiful smile. Inwardly Rogue wished she could look half so beautiful, it was just so hard to smile sometimes.

Rogue's gaze turned as she met the professor's eyes from where he sat behind his desk. He motioned for her to sit and she took one of the ornate chairs. Glancing back, she could see that Ororo had let herself out and would not be joinging them. "Professor, Ah jus' wanna say. 'S not mah fault. When Kitty gets it in her mind ta cook, there ain't no stoppin' her."

The professor chuckled as he steepled his fingers beneath his chin and shook his head. "That's not why I called you here."

"Oh." Rogue squirmed in her seat. If it wasn't about the mess the kitchen had been left in the other day then she was certainly worried about what else it might be. Granted, she hadn't taken the Javelin for a joyride so perhaps it wasn't that bad.

"Yes, I was wondering if maybe you could help me out a little bit. I've been using Cerebro to find out more information about Magneto's new team of mutants. I've learned that their names are Remy LeBeau of New Orleans, Piotr…"

Rogue's mind drifted as the professor continued to talk. _Remy. Cute name. And he _was _Cajun._ She tried hard to wipe off her face what most likely looked like the smirk a cat would wear should they manage to secure a bowl of milk.

"All of them are approximately the same age as the students here, but their powers seem to be very well developed."

"Ah don' understand what that's got to do with meh though."

"I was wondering if you still had any of their memories. If so, they might lead us to Magneto." Rogue could see the concern that the professor bore for his longtime friend. She knew that the Professor and Magneto had been friends long, long ago and that it pained him to see that their ideals had drifted so far apart. Now, that the two of them should be working together, Magneto had instead opted to go off on his own, Acolytes in tow.

"Ah wish Ah could help, Proff. Ah've been tryin' ta remember, but 's all a blank. Ah jus' remember wakin' up in Tibet an' not knowin' how Ah managed ta get there." She tried hard to push her recent thoughts about the tall, handsome Cajun to the back of her mind. They weren't pertinent to the Professor's request and she didn't want to give him the idea that she was holding back. At least holding back more than a secret crush on the enemy. A slight blush creeped up her cheeks and the professor quirked up an eyebrow.

_Is there something you would like to tell me, Rogue?_

_Nope. _She shook her head in the negative for extra persuasive power, more so to convince herself. She forced back the cringe when she could see the slight disappointment wash over the professor for a moment and then she stood up. "Ah should get goin', Professor." He nodded and Rogue turned to leave.

As soon as she was through the doors, she was in a near sprint towards the front door of the mansion. "Hold up there, Stripes. Where do you think you're going?"

Rogue finally allowed that cringe as she turned to see Logan leaning against a wall nearby. It was just her luck that she had to run into someone before she could make her escape to fresh air. "Ah was goin' for a walk," she said simply. It seemed about accurate. She certainly hadn't planned to do much more than keep one foot going in front of the other.

"Sure, but I'm gonna come with you." He pushed himself off the wall and joined her by the front door and was not deterred by the slumping of her shoulders.

"Ah really jus' need ta be alone right now," Rogue sighed. Her thoughts were jumbled and she honestly couldn't see how she'd manage to find any trouble on the grounds. That and it was getting a little tiresome that Logan barely let her out of his sight ever since she'd had her little identity crisis. It had been months and at first the attention seemed sweet. But now it rubbed her the wrong way-especially now. She just wanted to feel normal or at least as normal as she could. And besides all that, if she didn't get her thoughts sorted out soon, she might as well just broadcast it directly to Jean that she was carrying a torch for a known enemy.

Rogue went to pass him, but his hand fell heavily on her shoulder. "Look, I can't let you go wandering around the grounds by yourself. You're an easy target for Magneto, or any other mutant hater at that."

"What are ya sayin', Ah can't look after mahself? Nobody treated Jean like this after her li'l breakdown. Why do Ah get the special treatment? An' stop acting like you're mah father or something." Instantly she regretted the last part after seeing the crumpled look on his face.

"We're just concerned, that's all," he said in low voice. "Besides, Jean wasn't the one used to release Apocalypse."

Rogue narrowed her gaze at him and crossed her arms defiantly over chest. Yet again, one more person reminding her that she was responsible for the end of the world. As if she'd set out with that goal in mind.

"Look, Ah'm fine. Ah just don' feel like bein' cooped up inside any longer. Ya know how Ah feel about crowds."

Logan lifted his hand from her shoulder and nodded in understanding. She didn't take time to question the sudden release, but rather jumped at the chance to push through the door and escape the confinement of the mansion walls.

A breeze blew in from the bay, cool and fragrant and rearranged the white bangs across her forehead. She walked aimlessly, her feet carrying her ever closer to the forest that edged the institute grounds. There, it was shaded from the hot summer sun and she climbed up into the lower branches of a tree to think.

* * *

><p>Remy sat on his bed shuffling cards between his hands aimlessly. The cards flew with dexterity and speed that had been practiced for years. He sighed, glancing off to the side to see that a hat lay on the nearby desk and began to pitch the cards with ease into the hat. He was supposed to be packing for Egypt. However, he had absolutely no desire to go to Egypt. Egypt was hot, dusty, and quite possibly the least populated place in the world for Southern Belles. This had originally been his opinion of Bayville, minus the assessment on hot and dusty. But there was that X-girl, the little auburn. He had known just by looking at her the first time that she had southern roots. One could always tell in these matters. Southern Belles were ladies first, and fistfuls of fire in a close second and he wouldn't have them any other way.<p>

As he let his thoughts drift, he continued to toss the cards without looking, each one landing neatly into the hat. It had been a while since he'd left New Orleans, and at the time, he'd hoped to never see a Southern girl ever again. He'd had quite enough after Bella Donna. That woman was far too good at making him feel the fool when he'd done nothing wrong. All because she had a jealous streak a mile long, he was made to feel bad just because women lined up around the block to talk to him. He smirked suddenly and let another card fly. Who wouldn't want to talk to him?

The last card landed in the hat and Remy was quickly on his feet, grabbing his trenchcoat from where it hung over the back of the desk chair. He was in need of some air and was fairly certain where it was he wanted to go to find it. Exiting his room, he passed by John who was suffering under the weight of a large propane tank he was attempting to carry. "Where you think you're going, Mate? We're supposed to be packing!"

"Gambit already packed, mon ami," he replied casually removing a playing card from an inner pocket and holding it up. It flared pink and John froze contemplating dropping the propane and running like hell. Remy just smirked and uncharged the card before replacing it in his pocket. "It was jus' a joke, non?"

"Yeah, just a joke," John replied nervously. "When you getting back? Magneto's going to be pissed if you're not here."

"Whenever Ah get back."

Remy swept out of the building and climbed aboard his red and black motorcycle. He swept his hand up over the body for a moment, a satisfied look crossing his face before he turned the bike on, flooding the injector to allow the bike to rumble to life. The then depressed the clutch, put it into gear, and roared away onto the road.

Their headquarters was situated not that far out of Bayville. Close enough to keep an eye on the X-men, but not so close to draw too much attention from their psychics. Remy had a hard time believing though that his one little trip into town would reveal himself or the other Acolytes. Surely the X-men had better things to do then to sit around waiting for one of his thoughts to cross their mind. He chuckled to himself and wondered if possibly the red headed psychic might in actuality.

But his thoughts did not remain on her for long as they drifted back to the auburn X-girl-the one with the white bangs and southern drawl. The Rogue. Yes, she was far more interesting to contemplate. He had often wondered if he'd appeared over eager to help find her but no one had said a thing. Perhaps they'd merely thought he'd gone along to keep Sabertooth and Wolverine from killing one another. He would have gladly allowed them to if it wouldn't have been for needing their more animal-like senses.

They had succeeded in finding her, although Remy wondered if it was more so their fault that Apocalypse was set free than hers. It had taken all of his persuasive abilities to get Sabertooth and Wolverine to cooperate with one another, but it had been time consuming to say the least. And to waste such valuable time when the clock was ticking. Remy shook his head as he swerved around a slow moving vehicle and turned down a street that wound away from the town.

A few more minutes passed and the only sound in the world was the rumbling of his own motor. No other cars passed him on the road and the only sign of civilization was a high brick wall that he was passing by. He slowed and parked the bike alongside the wall. He knew what was inside: the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. He also knew that it had an unbelievable security system that could not only anhilate lost squirrels, but also roaming Acolytes too. He stood on the seat of his bike, bracing his hands on the top of the wall and lifted himself up. He could see the mansion resting cliffside in the distance and in the setting light, he could see that the windows were starting to glow with evening activity. All was quiet on the property.

He crouched on the wall, not necessarily to hide for he was a good half mile from the mansion, but to assess whether or not he could drop inside the wall and then later climb back over. He didn't necessarily want to use the front gate.

There were far more than enough trees growing next to the wall to expediate his departure and so he decided to see what he could see beneath the tree line. He landed on the grass in a crouched position, the shade immediately swallowing him up. A few birds lifted up into the air, surprised by the intruder, but there was no other response. Remy was able to stoll among the trees, ambling towards the edge of the forest to gain another clear view of the mansion.

He was at the tree line and still, none of the alarms had gone off, no lasers had tried to riddle him with holes, and yet it was eerily absent of any squirrels or chipmunks. Remy leaned back against a tree and gazed up at the mansion, the lights twinkling in the windows and teasing of lives carried out peacefully inside. There was a small part of him that wondered if he'd made a wrong choice in working for Magneto. Actually, a large part of him wondered it quite often. But there was nothing to be done about it. Magneto had made him an offer he couldn't refuse, and to start refusing now would result in quite a few problems for him in the long run. As much as he'd like to change sides, it was too late for that. And at least for now, they seemed to be working together against a common enemy.

Nearby, Rogue blinked away sleep and stretched her arms up over her head. She managed to catch herself before she fell from the limb she was perched on and looked down warily. _Must have fallen asleep. How late is it?_ The sky was rapidly darkening, casting her into deep shadows under the heavily laden branches of the trees. All was incredibly quiet, which wasn't unusual. The antics of the teenagers and Logan's overly sensitive alarm system had scared away all but a few birds.

She jumped down from the tree with a grace and agility that was somewhat unnatural. While most powers didn't remain with her very long, or at least not in a way that she could access, Logan's always seemed to be at the ready. She wondered if it had to do with the fact that he was a healer or if it was merely something he'd pressed upon her-a way for him to protect her even when he wasn't around. She knew she needed to get back to the mansion before someone began to worry about her. Eventually Kitty would notice that she was missing.

But something made her pause. She sniffed and frowned when she swore she could smell something spicy, like gumbo. _No one would be making gumbo for dinner. No one knows how._ Her eyes flicked back and forth through the trees and finally settled on a figure standing no more than ten feet away from her. He was tall, a long jacket fluttering about his legs, and he was staring right back at her with red on black eyes.

Neither of them said anything as they continued to stare at one another. It was a silent, yet mutual, agreement that the each knew the other was staring right back and yet they did nothing. A twig snapped and Rogue jumped before realizing that it was her who had side stepped slightly to adjust her weight. When she looked back up, Gambit was gone as if she'd dreamt him up. But it had been no dream that the handsome cajun boy had been watching her. Somehow he'd managed to sneak past Logan's defenses and had infiltrated the institute grounds. Her heart beated with regular skips and stutters as she wondered what his purpose had been. He'd been so quiet, but he'd been watching her. Had Magneto sent him or had he come on his own?

Remy ran through the trees swiftly and without making a sound. It wasn't long before he reached the wall and he easily hefted himself up into a tree and then jumped over the wall. His bike waited for him nearby. His heart was pounding as he throttled the engine and the bike roared to life, finding purchase on the pavement and tearing down the road.

He doesn't remember what roads he took to get back. All he knows is that in record time, he's straddling his bike as it idles outside of the warehouse that Magneto has renovated into his own personal headquarters in his quest against Apocalypse. Remy fights back the pounding of his heart but realizes that it's practically being encouraged by the pulsing of the bike beneath him. He cuts the engine and it helps-a little. She had not raised an alarm, had not run away, and had not fought him. She had seemed just as surprised as him to see him and yet she had not seemed scared either.

Feeling a little more in control of his own breathing and heart, he walked inside and was immediately greeted by a strong Australian accent that somewhat grated on his ears. John was only half a step away from pure insanity. Still, he was better than Sabertooth, but that wasn't saying very much.

"The prodigal Cajun returns! That sheila of yours must be some looker, Mate, for you to go sneaking around down under without telling Magneto. I've known dingos with more care and cunning than you."

Remy turned to look at the flame haired Australian and frowned. He had a slight point. Magneto might not take too kindly to him slipping away especially if he ever found out that he was more or less doing recon on the Institute but wasn't sharing his information. It hadn't been his intention to go there, but it had happened nonetheless. "'S none of y' business, mon ami. But f' y' information, Gambit was doin' some work on de side."

"Yeah? Well let's see this great haul of yours then." John grinned from ear to ear and Remyw asn't sure if it was because he was serving as a distraction from doing any work or if he was actually enjoying the chastising. Meanwhile, Piotr continued to load crates without comment. Oh, how Remy wished Piotr would interject something, anything. "Bet you don't have anything more than a couple of measly wallets," John sneered rolling his eyes.

Remy buried his hands into his coat's pockets and managed to keep a straight face. Sure, he'd stopped into town and picked a few pockets. It had not been his intention, but a habit. So instead he smirked. "If Gambit told y' all his secrets, it wouldn' be a secret stash, non? I'll go pick it up after all dis Apocalypse _connerie_."

"It won't be that easy, my friend." Both John and Remy turned to stare at Piotr. "I believe that even Magneto fears him, so this will be no easy task."

"Y' do speak English, mon ami."

"Of course," he replied, the words heavy with accent but still very clearly dictated. Piotr's head turned as he saw that John was practically quaking in his boots looking at the door. Eventually both Remy and Piotr turned to look.

"Who is it that I'm supposed to fear?" Magneto asked. "I want you boys to understand something: I fear no one-not Apocalypse, not Charles Xavier, and certainly not his pathetic X-men. We are leaving tomorrow and we will find Apocalypse and I will personally destroy him. I would suggest you all get a good night's sleep."

Remy sighed, his shoulders rising up and down. "_N'importe quoi_. So long as Gambit gets a vacation when we get back. Perhaps a trip t' de beach." He turned, showing Magneto his back and went to his room, closing the door behind him. He had done nothing to help prepare for this trip and planned to keep it that way as a form of protest. He felt bad that Piotr was left with the extra work, but it was the Russian's fault if he was too pliant.

He stared up at the bleak metal ceiling above his bed and frowned. How he hated the bleakness of their living conditions. He remembered the way that the lights had poured out through the mansion windows and sighed. It would be nice to have a warm bed to sleep in at a place like that. Somewhere where one would actually have something so simple and overlooked as carpet on one's feet in the morning when the arose from bed.

Rolling over to stare at a metal wall instead, he tried to think of how many miles wide the Atlantic Ocean was. And then it was how many more miles to Egypt? It was too far, he decided. He didn't need an exact number to know that. He wouldn't be an easy bike ride away from seeing the belle fille for quite a while now. Once more his heart began to pound as he remembered how intense her stare had been, and yet, she'd not been afraid. Had she not broken that twig, who knew how long they might have stared into one another's eyes. Perhaps, long enough to see into one another's souls. Or at least until the sun came up.

He smiled as he closed his eyes. Yes, the little miss independent of the X-men. He would have to check back in on her once they returned from Egypt. Perhaps then he'd be able to get her off his mind.


	2. Fragile Heart

For those few who might be trying to actually compare this to "Save Me", don't do so too much. The writing style is _very_ different. Namely that it's told from third person omnicient rather than first person. Secondly, the chapters are still titled for songs (like before) and the songs are usually referenced in the chapter (like before), but I'm no longer working in the lyrics (so very unlike before). It's too bulky. The vibe that I'm trying to give is that if you read this chapter while listening to the song is that you will feel like you're in the moment. But I also don't want it to be such that you _have_ to listen to the song or be burdened down with lyrics wedged in between what's really important, the imagery of the scene.

**FYI:**  
>I don't own the X-men or "Fragile Heart" by Jewel.<br>I do have a gap in my front teeth like Jewel though.

**Chapter 2: Fragile Heart**

Remy stretched his long legs out beneath the table and crossed his arms over his chest as he gazed at his two companions. John was anxiously flicking open and shut a Zippo lighter while Piotr's face was crumpled and on the verge of tears. He raised his gaze skyward and sighed as he ran a hand back through his hair. He closed his eyes, enjoying what little breeze the ceiling fan produced with it's incessant fwip-fwip-fwip. Egypt was just too damn hot. "Ain't dis jus' wonderful. Magneto's gone an' gotten himself killed, leavin' us stranded in Egypt," he chuckled darkly. "Have t' admit, might have seen dis comin'."

Piotr finally broke, burying his head into his arms on the table. "My family...I've failed you," he mumbled.

John awkwardly patted him on the back of the shoulder and said his blessings that the big lug was at least not crying. "What are you mumbling over there, Mate? You know you're not the only one whose life's been ruined by that whacker bailing out. We've got our bloody problems too. Nearing the top of the list, is we're stuck in Egypt of all God-forsaken places."

"Well, y' both idiots f' ever trustin' Magneto. But Gambit can't help but be glad t' finally be rid of de hairball." He shoved his hands deep into his coat pockets and pulled the jacket around him tighter. For some reason thinking about Sabertooth made him nervous. They didn't know what happened to him at all. For all they knew, Sabertooth was just waiting for them to walk back out of this resturaunt.

"You trying to tell me you didn't believe his lies as well, Mate?"

"Not all of dem," Remy clarified, "But Gambit gonna move on. Gonna go t' de airport an' get de first flight back t' New York."

The waitress arrived and smiled at the men sitting around the table until her gaze fell onto Piotr. She hesitated for a moment before glancing worriedly at John and Remy. Remy put on his most charming smile for the brunette as he spoke, "We be needing three house specials."

"And a middie. No make that a longneck," John added.

"Cancel dat drink, Cherie," Remy said quickly shooting John a sharp look.

The waitress jotted down their order and left leaving John to pout at Remy. "Since when do you deny a fellow man a drink, eh, Mate?"

"Since y' need t' be sharp jus' in case Sabey ain't as gone as we t'ink he is."

John nodded slowly before continuing to pout and Remy just shook his head. "So why are you going to New York and not back New Orleans? And where'd you make the quid?"

"Bet you won' be so hard on Gambit in de future 'bout a little pick-pocketing, non?" Remy smirked and fiddled with his glass of water for a few moments. "And if de two of y' can get y' acts t'gether long enough, I got enough t' fly us all home." Remy was grateful that John seemed to be satisfied with his answer even if he had dodged the question entirely. Even Piotr seemed to have perked back up again at the prospect of just leaving Egypt.

* * *

><p>Rogue sat on the bench, staring out the window at the bay far below. The mansion's situation on top of the cliff provided a fantastic view of the water and of the nearby city. Sometimes, she would sit there for hours wondering what it'd be like to live in the city like a normal person, to be able to date, to go shopping and buy normal clothes, and to go to school without everyone knowing you were a mutant freak. She sighed, leaning her head back against the wall, playfully tugging at her gloves.<p>

"How much more time are you, like, going to waste staring into space? Like, if we don't get moving, we'll totally miss all the fun!"

Rogue glanced up to see Kitty standing over her, little fists on her hips and trying to look like she was formidable. It was a nearly impossible task to pull off while wearing a pair of cut off jeans, a baby pink tank top, and bangle bracelets. Rogue laughed as she stood up. "Ya act like they'll run out of music."

"They might, like, as slow as you move at least." Kitty shooed her up the stairs to their bedroom to get dressed. A few moments later, Rogue emerged from her closet wearing a scoop necked purple tank top, a black mini skirt with black thigh high stockings, a black long sleeve bolero shrug, and a pair of high heels that would make a hooker cry. Kitty whistled playfully at her roommate's transformation. "You look hot!"

"I _feel_ hot. I hate wearing this many layers," Rogue sighed.

"That's not all what I, like, meant," Kitty argued in frustration but quit when she saw Rogue's defeated look. Rogue grabbed a silk scarf on her way out the door and was tying it around her neck as Kitty kept talking. "So you'll need to drive, because this, like, evil guy at the DMV failed me again," she whined. "I like don't understand why they don't give me a break. It was only three cones this time."

They got to the garage, and Rogue grabbed the keys from the pegboard for a black Jeep. She had toyed with the idea of "borrowing" Scott's convertible but decided that the consequences weren't quite worth the fun. It'd be one thing if it was just Scott blowing hot air later, but unfortunately, half of the teachers would jump onto his wagon and admonish her for being irresponsible and inconsiderate. She wasn't sure which would be worse, being in trouble or constantly being worried over as she was now. Kitty had apparently gone to a lot of trouble convincing Ororo that it would be okay for the three of them to go into Bayville tonight without an adult escort.

As they climbed into the front seats, there was a 'Bamf!' and a smell of sulfur to announce Kurt's arrival in the back seat. "Nothing like waiting until the last second, Kurt," Kitty teased, half turning around in her seat. The entire way into the city, she recounted her harrowing tale of the driver's test that she'd failed. Rogue and Kurt did their best to sound supportive but felt bad for the instructor.

By the time they arrived at the club, the parking lot was nearly jammed and it took Rogue a solid five minutes just to find a spot. As they walked in, her attention was grabbed by a handsome black motorcycle with red painted accents. But it didn't last, as Kitty grabbed her hand and dragged her to the door. "Like, this is going to be soo much fun. I have been in dire need of some dancing."

Rogue couldn't help but smile at her friend as she tried to forget that she was about to enter an overcrowded club where people would be constantly bumping into one another all night. She just prayed that she had covered up enough skin to be safe.

Inside, the music pulsed, setting a new rhythm by which her heart could beat. It wasn't long though before Rogue had moved along the side wall while Kurt and Kitty dove straight into the middle of the throng of gyrating bodies. Rogue hugged herself trying to avoid passers by who were on their way to get a drink before returning to the lowered dance floor.

When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she shrugged it off instinctively. It was better to reduce contact as much as possible even when they did touch a clothed part of her body. The more any person kept their distance the safer they both were. Then two hands were on her shoulders, this time giving a slight squeeze. Rogue froze for a split second before reacting quickly. She grabbed the person's wrists, twisting around until she was behind them, their arms pulled up behind their back. She let out her breath and looked up at the person for the first time. He was tall, long copper hair, and wore a long trench coat, and vaguely familiar. But the adrenaline rushing through her veins limited her ability to remember from where. "What do ya want, Mister?"

"Hello to y' too, _cheri amour._ Right now, all dis Cajun wants is t' feel his right arm again."

Rogue dropped his right hand more out of shock than compliance. She hadn't expected such a congenial response to her uncalled for actions. "Who are ya? An' what do ya want with meh?"

"_Je m'appele Remy LeBeau_, and all dat I ask of y' is _une_ dance, _Chere_."

Rogue could only blink, her grip on his other wrist loosening allowing him to turn around so that she could see his red on black eyes now. She felt so sheepish for vicously pinning him with little good reason.

Even Remy was a little surprised by the speed with which she'd managed to secure him but he was grateful that it'd only been temporary. It had certainly not been his intention to start a fight when he'd run into her here. Happy coincidence and nothing more. He looked down into her face to see that she was blushing slightly, her emerald green eyes sparkling with something he couldn't quite name. Distrust? Intrigue? He did not know. "Well, does Remy get dat dance or what?" He smirked slightly seeing her indecision.

Rogue's expression hardened as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was not about to admit that she'd spent quite a large amount of her free time thinking about him and wondering if he'd done the same. "An' why would Ah dance with you? Yo' the enemy last time Ah checked."

"Den check again, _mon chere_. Magneto's gone missing. Remy be his own man now."

She started at this news, her back straightening with alarm. Magneto was gone? Maybe even dead? Did anyone else know about this? "Okay then, why would Ah want ta dance with a thief? An' fo' yo' information, Ah can speak French. So stop callin' meh c_here_ an' Ah'm especially not yo's."

Gambit smirked. She was fiery to say the least. He was amused by her sense of propriety over just a little moniker. "Y' right. Remy could only hope dat a _belle fille _such as y'self would be his. An' y' most certainly _belle _when y' angry, _Chere_." Her cheeks flared red again in her anger and Remy chuckled. This had most certainly been worth the trip back from Egypt.

"Look, yo' really starting to piss meh off. Go bug someone else won't ya. An' stop calling me c_here_!" she snapped.

Remy looked startled for a moment by her reaction and held his hands up defensively. "_Je suis désolé_. Remy didn' mean t' make y' angry. But if I cannot call y' _chere_ den what should I call y'? Teresa? Non...how 'bout Marie?" Remy looked thoughtful as he tapped his lower lip with a long finger. He smiled down at Rogue and was surprised to see the shock written on her face.

"How'd ya know that was mah name? Ah've ne'er told anyone that. Not e'en the professor."

"Lucky guess, I suppose. So, do I get dat dance, Marie?"

The rhythm of the music was changing, slowing, and people were moving off the dance floor for drinks in the interim. Only a few couples remained. Rogue glanced at the dance floor and felt as though this might be her only chance to get out there without killing someone and so she nodded slowly. He offered her his hand, which she took, and before leading her out onto the dance floor, he gently kissed the back of her gloved hand. Once in the center of the floor, he placed one hand on her waist, and held onto her hand with the other, leading them in slow circles. "One more question. How did ya know ta find meh here?" Rogue asked, looking up at him inquistively. Much like the other night, they looked into each other's eyes wordlessly. There was no denying that they had seen each other that night.

"Once again, Marie, a lucky guess."

She wrapped her arms aound his neck loosely, allowing him to wrap his around her waist, pulling her in closer. It felt safer, as if she was no longer quite as exposed to the rest of the world. And it didn't necessarily hurt to be closer to him either. He smelled much like she remembered from the other night-a little spicy like southern cooking but also of leather and musk.

Remy couldn't help but wonder how one was not supposed to kiss a girl looking like her. Despite the dark colors of her clothes, she was beautiful and sexy, much more so than nearly every other girl in the club that night. He knew that her clothes were supposed to serve as a warning to her mutation, but he couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't meant to actually be a warning to her fragile heart.

"Ya got a lotta luck fo' one Cajun. Such as not gettin' shot when ya snuck onto the institute grounds a while back. Ya nearly scared meh ta death." She looked up at him and gave him a teasing smile. But underneath she wanted to tell him to be careful. He was getting too close to her and she was afraid that he'd get the wrong idea. And yet, she couldn't remember a time when she'd felt happier. It'd been so long since a boy had dared get this close to her and even longer since she'd danced with a boy.

Remy tried to find the right words to explain his actions. There weren't any such words. He himself was still tring to figure out what had possessed him to even go for the bike ride in the first place. Should he tell her that he'd been worried about her? That he wanted to see how she was doing after the horrible Apocalypse fiasco? Perhaps he should start with the fact that he hadn't exactly been able to get her off his mind since the moment he'd seen her and then handed her an exploding Queen of Hearts playing card. He went with none of the above. "Remy jus' got lost."

"Ah'd say," she retorted shaking her head. She glanced around for a few moments trying to see if she could spot Kitty or Kurt. She was praying against all odds they wouldn't see her or else they'd never leave her a moment's peace again until she fessed up as to whom she'd been dancing with. "So where are yo' buddies?"

He too glanced around for a moment and then shrugged. "Not here, Marie. Piotr don' dance dat much, an' I lost track of John as soon as he got off de plane. Remy t'inks de 'no smoking' rule made him twitchy."

She smiled, even giggling a little at his joke and it made Remy smile too. But under her smile, she worried that he still might not be a friend. He had worked for Magneto for some reason, and it could be that he wasn't that trustworthy. She already knew he was a thief, but did that make him a bad person? Truth was, she just didn't know enough about him to make any judgements. She just hoped that he wasn't going to take advantage of her trust. But things change, she knew that. Magneto's disappearance was evidence of that.

The song ended and Rogue gently pulled away. A part of her was determined to escape the dance floor before the next heavy beat would drive the club goers back into a frenzy. The other part of her was simply afraid that they would both be lost in the moment and forget that she was the untouchable. Remy was shocked with the speed by which she managed to push her way through the crowd and get outside.


	3. Kiss This

**FYI:**  
>I do not own the X-men or "Kiss This" by Aaron Tippin<br>But I really wish I owned the car he drives in the music video. Hot damn!

**Chapter 3: Kiss This**

Rogue was out the door and standing at the edge of the parking lot before she could piece together two words into a coherent thought. She leaned back against the building getting her breathing back under control and sighed. It worried her a little when she started to tap into powers she'd acquired a while ago. It made her worry more that others would start to overly worry about her actually. It was a little bit handy to know that when it came down to it, she had something deep down she could dig out and use to save her butt.

Eventually, she decided the best thing she could do would be to go wait in her Jeep for Kurt and Kitty to be done having their fun. There was no sense in being a killjoy just because she'd been flirting a little too much with the enemy...or ex-enemy, or whatever the hell he was now. She allowed the distraction of thinking about his red on black eyes and coppery hair that fell into his face and smiled a little as she hopped up into the driver's seat.

She sat silently for a moment before turning the key in the ignition in order to start up the electronics. She figured she'd listen to some rock while she waited. Instead, out came blaring the remnants of a country song just before a commercial break. She'd forgotten that Kitty had taken over the radio on the ride out. The girl was far too obsessed with lovey-dovey romantic ballads for Rogue's taste. She leaned over to adjust the radio tuner and was startled when there was a loud crash. She looked up cautiously to see that her entire windshield had spider-webbed.

"What the hell..."

Rogue was now sitting straight up and looking through the assortment of cracks to see that there were two men standing in front of her jeep, one was holding a baseball bat threateningly and she made the correct assumption that he was the jerk she needed to ask to pay for a new window. She didn't have much time to look properly as her arm was grabbed and she was pulled roughly from the vehicle to land on the pavement.

"Hey Mutie. We saw what you did back there."

_Oh shit... _Rogue quickly scrambled backwards from the man who'd pulled her from the car but ran into her front fender. Pushing herself up to her feet she glanced quickly at all three men that were surrounding her. They were all of fairly large size, as it seemed all ignorant, mutant-hating citizens tended to be, and Rogue did not particularly like her odds. _And all I wanted to do was to come out here and clear my head from turning to mush over that stupid Cajun._

"We'd love to see you try that again, Mutie." Rogue's eyes snapped to the one who'd spoken as he smacked the baseball bat off the flat of his hand. She couldn't help but think, she would love that too. At least then she'd be away from this.

"Come on baby, we just want to play awhile." It was the one who'd grabbed her who had spoken and he moved as if to grab for her again. Rogue slid to the side along the Jeep and dodged him and she grabbed the door handle and roughly jerked it open, knocking him to the ground. His friends were already coming at her and she backed away as the slammed the car door shut again, using the baseball bat to add a nice over-sized dent.

"This ain't no way ta impress a lady," Rogue said continuing to back up until she was finally clear of the row of cars she'd been parked between.

The baseball bat arced at her head and she ducked as it whistled past. When it hit a back bumper of a nearby car, Rogue grabbed the bat before he could go for a backswing and used a similar move that she'd employed on Remy earlier. She twisted it up and around behind him such that the bat was pressed against his throat, his whimpers coming out strangled. She raised a foot and planted it in the middle of his bag and he lurched forward, banging his head off a tailgate and fell.

The next contender came at her, his fists swinging and she easily knocked them aside thanks to Logan's harsh hand-to-hand combat training. She grabbed his arm with the next punch and twisted it painfully, flipping him over so that he landed on his back.

Last but not least, the third man came at her. Growling, she went to kick at him but he dodged it. She managed to stay out of the way of his fist as she then dropped down low and kicked his legs out from underneath of him. Unfortunately, her last two opponents were not as unconscious as their friend with the baseball bat.

The second man tackled Rogue from behind, causing her to painfully land on her shoulder on the pavement. She writhed beneath him, managing to roll onto her back, but he kept her pinned. He was weilding a knife now that had somehow managed to come uncomfortably close to her neck. While she wanted to rant about the laundry list of problems these men had, she realized that heckling the man holding a knife at her throat was probably not wise.

Somehow, she needed to make them pay for their sins. Pay for their ignorance, pay for her broken windshield, and most certainly pay for ruining her night. There was only one thing left for her to do. She rared back for a moment and then leaned forward, feeling the knife's blade press against her scarf and throat. "Kiss this," she hissed preparing herself mentally for what it'd be like to have this asshole running through her head for a few moments.

She squeezed her eyes shut but suddenly all of his weight and pressure was gone. Her eyes snapped back open and she could see that Remy was standing over her, the man hanging by his color from Remy's fist, and in Remy's other hand were a couple of pink, flaring playing cards. "_Messiurs_, might I suggest leavin' de _belle fille_ alone." The two attackers who maintained their consciousness were running as fast as their legs could carry them, abondoning their friend.

Rogue slowly stood back up with the aid of Remy's hand as the only sound around them was the passing traffic and a wail of "DEMON!"

"'S a good t'ing Remy was here t' save y', non?"

Rogue quickly slapped Remy's hand away and set her face into a growl. "Ah didn' need yo' help. Ah didn' need ya to save meh. An' ta be honest, Ah'm gettin' real tired of ev'ryone treatin' meh like Ah can't take care of mahself." She brushed herself off and checked for blood but only found that her elbows were scraped, her stockings ripped, and her scarf in tatters. She cursed under her breath before dropping the scarf to the ground. She looked up to see that Remy was looking her over too and she growled. "What are ya starin' at?"

Remy shook his head quietly for a moment. "Remy just sorry t' see y' clothes ruined like dat. Y' looked nice t'night."

Rogue elicited another growl and stalked off back towards her car. Apparently the radio was the only thing working as it continued to blare country music and she roughly grabbed the door open and ripped the keys out. The radio cut out leaving them in uncomfortable silence as Rogue assessed the damage to the Jeep. The driver's door and front hood were both banged up and the windshield was about ready to collapse in on itself. "Now what am Ah gonna do?" She pulled out her cell phone, punched at it angrily for a moment before finally tossing it into the car with dejection. Finally she turned away from the car to see that Remy was still watching her carefully. "Do ya make it a habit ta stare at people, Remy?"

He shrugged helplessly as he quickly looked elsewhere before returning his gaze after a moment. "How do y' plan on gettin' home, _Chere_?"

She rolled her eyes at him and stalked back towards the club entrance. "If ya don' mind, Ah need ta find a payphone an' call a tow truck. An' then Ah need ta find mah friends so they can call a cab."

Remy followed from a few paces behind as Rogue went into a payphone booth and angrily shut the door behind her. She shot him a glare before turning her attention to the phonebook. He leaned back against the brick wall of the building and lazily shuffled a deck of cards as he watched her. He looked down at his hands after a while and realized that the Queen of Hearts was sitting on top of the deck. He quickly shuffled her back in.

There was a slam as Rogue shut the phone book, and stormed back out of the phonebooth. "Somet'in' de matter, Marie?"

She looked fit to be tied and for a moment words escaped her as if there was too much wanting to come pouring out at once. "The phone's dead. Look...ya wouldn' happen ta have a cell, would ya?" She was refusing to look up at him but he could tell she was on the verge of desperation.

"What 'bout yours?" he asked, playing with her a little and her eyes snapped up full of hatred.

"It died, okay? Now do ya have one or not?" Remy dug into his pocket and tossed her a sleek, black cell and Rogue caught it gratefully. Relief just washed over her face in a tidal wave and immediately she started to dial.

"Hi. Ah need ta have mah car towed. 'S in a lot on the corner of Main and Garfield." She paused listening for a few moments to the far end before continuing. "'S a black Jeep. Ya won' be able ta miss it. The windshield's smashed and the driver's side door an' hood are banged in." She sighed a little as she continued to listen and began to nod, more so to herself than anyone else. Finally she turned off the phone and looked back up at Remy. "Thanks. Ah appreciate it," she said softly. "Do ya mind if Ah make one more call?"

"Remy would give y' de moon an' stars, _belle fille_. All y' have t' do is ask," he said, gesturing for her to go on.

She gave him a wretched look for a moment before rolling her eyes and dialed. "Hey Kitty. Ah'm sorry Ah left early. Somethin' came up an' ya guys are gonna need ta take a cab back. No, Ah didn' ditch ya fo' a boy." This last part was said with a heavy eye roll from Rogue and caused Remy to quirk his eyebrow up with curiosity. "The Jeep got smashed. Ah promise Ah'll explain it all later, okay? Alright, you guys have fun."

She closed the phone and held it out for him to take. "Thanks again." Her mouth was set into a thin line as she considered him for a few moments as he slowly approached her and took his phone back. Rogue then brushed past him in order to walk back to the parking lot and her car to wait. She breathed in deeply and let it out as she walked into view of the smashed windshield once more. Finally, she reached the car and sat down, leaning back against the front fender, her eyes closed, knees drawn up to her chest. She looked like she was fighting back tears and just barely winning.

Remy had followed once more and when she sat down, he shed his trench coat and wrapped it around her shoulders before sitting down next to her.

"Ah'm fine," she said wearily.

"Remy knows dat. Jus' don' want t' see y' catch cold out here." He kept his gaze down, focusing on her shoes and wondering how she managed to walk so quickly in the high heels. He'd barely kept up with his own long stride. "How long 'til de come f' de car?"

"They said it'd be 'bout an hour."

"An hour is a long time t' wait. I could give y' a ride if y' prefer t' leave now."

Rogue finally looked up at him and seemed to be weighing out her options. She finally decided that no matter what, she wasn't going to shake him. Refusing to give him the satisfaction of a verbal answer, she nodded her head in the affirmative and Remy smiled broadly as he stood up and offered her his gloved hand. He led her to the corner of the parking lot where his bike was sitting and picked up the helmet that was hanging from one of the handlebars. "This is yo's?" Rogue asked in surprise.

"Mais oui." She slowly took the helmet from his hands, swept her white bangs back from her face and strapped the helmet on and then watched hesitantly as Remy straddled the bike, backed it out of the space and turned it around. "Usually helps t' get on, Marie." She blinked dumbly for a moment then nodded as she slowly got onto the bike behind him. "Might also help t' hold on, _aussi_," he said glancing back over his shoulder at her. Finally, she snaked her arms around his waist and just before he throttled the engine, she gave him a sharp jab to the gut. He chuckled as he let the engine roar and raced away from the parking lot and back towards the institute.

Her grip tightened as he hit the main road and really started to fly. He only smirked realizing that he had her right where he wanted her. Giving him the tightest hug she could manage, even if it was only to keep herself seated on the bike. "Think ya could slow down jus' a li'l, Cajun? We'll be in the next state in less than an hour at this rate," she shouted to be heard above the motor's roar.

"Y' tellin' me y' don' like speed, _Chere_, or maybe y' jus' don' trust Remy's drivin'?"

"'S more of a control thing," she replied, holding on even more tightly as the rounded a turn. They were crossing a bridge that was just shy of being a mile from the institute and Rogue tapped Remy on the shoulder. "Y' might wanna drop me off here," she shouted. He glanced back at her quickly and recognized the worry in her eyes and did as she asked, slowing to a stop along the side of the road. Rogue climbed off and removed his helmet to return and smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks, Ah didn' want Logan ta smell ya comin'. He might slice first an' ask questions later. Don' take it personally."

Remy just shook his head and smiled as he looked her over. "Y' gonna be okay t' walk de rest of de way?"

"Yeah, ya've already have done too much fo' meh tanight." She slowly turned to start walking and he quickly dismounted and grabbed her by the elbow to stop her.

"If yo' dat worried 'bout mah smell an' de Wolverine, y' might want t' give me back _mon manteau_, Marie." He smiled as he held his hand out and Rogue started in surprise to realize that she was still wearing his trench coat.

"Right," she said laughing, "Thanks. If Ah'd known Ah was in fo' a motorcycle ride tanight, Ah would have dressed warmer."

He took the coat, laying it over his arm and watched as she turned once more. He then quickly reached out and spun her around again, loving the look of surprise in her eyes when he did it. He traced her jaw bone gently with his gloved fingers and watched as her expression melted, her jaw slackening slightly, her eyelids drooping. "Can Remy kiss y', Marie?"

"Are ya crazy?" she sputtered coming back to life. "Of course not. Do ya have a death wish?"

"We've kissed b'fore, _Chere_. 'S jus' a shame dat neither of us remember it."

Rogue's head tilted with surprise. She'd kissed him before? It must have been when she blacked out because she was under Apocalypse's control. Now she really did wish she could remember what happened during that time.

Remy just leaned down and kissed the top of her head, using her hair for protection, as one arm went around her waist to pull her in for a hug. "Leave it t' _moi_, _Chere_, I'll find a way. Remy's always like a good challenge."

She returned the hug fiercely, burying her face into his chest and not wanting to admit that she was enjoying his attention far too much. No one had ever gotten this close to her before by choice. No one had ever expressed a desire to kiss her before. She could feel the tears starting to well up as she realized that there was no way for this to work. Tonight was as far as she could let it go. She had to end it. "Ya'd be wastin' yo' time, Cajun. There ain't no way ta touch meh. Ah'd end up hurtin' ya if ya even tried."

When she looked up, Remy didn't look the slightest bit discouraged. He was still smiling, cupping her cheek in his hand. "When can I see y' 'gain, _Chere_?"

"Ya already seem ta know where ta find meh," she replied pulling away and waving as she turned her back. This time, he did not stop her and she began her walk back to the institute. But walking didn't last very long before it became an all out sprint. She knew that if she did not put physical distance between them now, she'd go running right back to him.

* * *

><p>Remy arrived back at the warehouse with a giant grin spreading across his face that only grew with every step. He couldn't believe his luck. Tonight had been one of the best nights of his life in as long as he could remember. He couldn't even remember being this happy when he'd been with Bella Donna. In fact, it had seemed quit the opposite.<p>

Entering Magneto's more or less abandoned complex, Remy found Piotr lounging in the living area reading a book. They had returned here for lack of funds and Piotr's conscience. Piotr insisted that they not steal in order to pay for such 'unnecessary' expenses as a better place to live. Remy wanted to disagree but didn't want to upset the Russian's sensibilities either. Apparently it had taken a guy like Magneto to turn a good guy, bad. And even then, it hadn't been a lasting effect.

Remy walked over and tilted his head to read the book's title, _Tale of Two Cities_, cocked an eyebrow and then touched a finger to the book. It quickly gained a firey aura as it was kinetically charged.

"I wouldn't do it, my friend," Piotr said without looking up. "I would hate to have to put you through a wall." Remy sighed and quickly removed the charge before sitting down opposite of Piotr. "You look happy."

Remy just continued to grin like a mad hatter. "That would be an accurate assessment, mon ami." There was no further comments from Piotr though and Remy sighed as he stood up and stretched. "_A bientot_." Walking back down the hall to his room, he was hit with a sense of de'ja vu. Once again he would be going to bed with thoughts of Rogue filling his head.

* * *

><p>By the time Rogue reached the front door of the mansion, Loga was sitting oustide waiting for her. He looked agitated to say the least and it did nothing but put Rogue on edge as well. "Did Ah stay out past curfew or somethin'?"<p>

"It ain't the curfew, I'm worried about. Kitty and Kurt got back half an hour ago. Where the hell have you been, Stripes?" he asked standing up on the front steps and hindering her ability to reach the front door.

Rogue sighed as she glanced around his bulk at the glass door that promised warmth and the coziness of a bed. "Didn' they tell ya? The Jeep got messed up. Ah had ta wait for a tow truck."

"So why do you smell like that Cajun Acolyte?"

Rogue glared up at Logan and frowned. His sense of smell was far to acute for her liking. "What's it matter what Ah smell like?"

"He's trouble and you know it. Chuck's been finding out all kinds of information about that boy's past and ain't none of it too savory. You ought to at least know who you're dealing with."

"As Ah keep remindin' everyone, Ah can take care of mahself." Angrily, she pushed past Logan for the door and surprisingly he didn't stop her. Apparently, he'd already decided on her punishment and keeping her held up at the door wasn't part of it. She puffed out her cheeks before blowing out all of her frustration and hot air.

Feeling only slightly better she entered her bedroom to find that Kitty was still anxiously sitting up waiting for her. "Oh you're finally back! I was, like, starting to worry! So, tell me. What happened?"

Rogue proceeded to recount the evening for Kitty, who sat enraptured by the tale, but left out any and all parts having to do with Remy. She even made up a description of a short, overweight tow truck driver who dropped her off at the gate. Somewhat disappointed by the rendition, Kitty released Rogue from the debriefing so that the girls could change and get into bed. Once there, all that Rogue could think about was Remy asking to kiss her and the pressure of his lips against the top of her head. Rogue lay on her side, her fingers pressed to her lips wandering why and how there was someone who wanted to kiss this despite all logic and reason not to.


	4. I'm With You

Hope you all aren't too disappointed by this little shortie of a chapter. It was originally a shortie and there's really no way to expand it without making it disgustingly deep, introspective and emo.

**FYI:**  
>I do not own the X-men or "I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne<p>

**Chapter 4: I'm With You**

Rogue couldn't believe her luck. An entire week had gone by since the incident with the Jeep at the club and still the professor had never called her to his office to discuss it. She didn't know if it was because Logan had never mentioned it or if the professor figured she'd been scared enough for a month. She leaned back against the railing on the balcony outside her bedroom and looked back into her empty bedroom. Kitty had finally received her driver's license and so she and many of the others had gone out to celebrate. But remembering the shattering of the windshield had been enough to keep Rogue home this weekend. She felt bad for lying to Kitty, making up a weak excuse about preferring to stay alive, but Kitty had seen through it and perhaps she'd understood that Rogue was still not quite ready for another excursion to the city.

Even the adults all seemed to be out for the night. The only people left were the professor and McCoy and she didn't necessarily feel like being under either of their quiet, watchful eyes.

The night was warm and the empty mansion provided Rogue with a rare opportunity to bare a little skin. She was wearing a pair of fitted yoga pants and a green tank top and allowing the wind to blow across her shoulders and ruffle her auburn hair. Smiling she decided that the best way to spend her evening alone would be going for a walk and enjoying the weather.

Walking out the front door, she began to hum to herself Avril Lavigne's "I'm With You". The irony of it did not miss her in the least and it made her smile even broader. When she reached the edge of the grounds, she decided to keep going and pushed out through the main gate and started down the road. Before she knew it, she'd reached the same bridge that Remy had dropped her off at the weekend before. She stopped to gaze into the swirling waters below her as they rushed towards the bay. A part of her wished that she had some place or someone to see so urgently.

Night had fallen and a gentle drizzle of rain accompanied the darkness. She didn't mind the rain in the least. She watched as the pavement around her grew dark in great spots until finally so many raindrops had fallen that the pavement was a single uniform color once more. Finally she started to walk back to the mansion.

Being at the bridge made her think about Remy though. It'd been a week and she hadn't seen him or heard from him at all. Perhaps he'd found some other girl to give his attention to. He'd probably realized that she'd been right to warn him off. The rain began to come down harder bringing with it a chill, so Rogue hugged herself against it as she quickened her pace. She looked up and was surprised to see him standing at the end of the bridge, the wind whipping his trench coat about his knees as he stood there watching her approach.

"How'd ya find me out here?" she asked once they were standing nearly toe to toe.

He removed his coat and swung it around and over her shoulders and she nuzzled into the retained warmth of the leather. "Gambit followed y'."

They started to walk towards the mansion and Rogue was surprised to not see his motorcycle anywhere nearby. He had walked too? "Why do ya always talk about yo'self in the third person like that? It makes ya sound kinda dumb."

He chuckled instead of being offended like she'd feared and she smiled too. "Y' sound like Piotr. 'S sexy, _non_?"

Rogue just shook her head and held back her laugh. "Not at all."

"Den I'll stop-f' you, _Chere_."

Rogue was somewhat disarmed by his smile while he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Ah'm glad ya found meh," she admitted. "Ah was startin' ta feel a li'l lonely at the institute. Turned out it wasn' much better out here."

"Why didn' y' go wit' de ot'ers, _Chere_?"

Rogue shrugged noncommitally. "Ah dunno. Ah wasn' up fo' the crowds Ah guess. Ironic since Ah don' wanna be alone either. But Ah'm fine now. Ah'm with you." She looked up at him and he smiled brilliantly back at her while giving her a reassuring squeeze on her hip. They had already passed by the gates to the institute and were now winding their way down a hill towards the base of the cliff and the beach.

They had walked in comfortable silence for a while before Rogue cut it with a knife. "Ah jus' realized that Ah don' know anythin' 'bout ya, Sugah, jus' yo' name."

"Y' wouldn' like me much if y' knew my past, _Chere_." His face grew grave and he gazed straight ahead down the road.

Rogue reached up to hug him around the waist with a reassuring hug and leaned against his shoulder. "Why don' ya let meh be the judge of that?"


	5. Love Me When I'm Gone

**FYI:**  
>I do not own the X-men or "Love Me When I'm Gone" by 3 Doors Down<p>

**Chapter 5: Love Me When I'm Gone**

Remy led Rogue along the rocky beach in silence still seeking the right words to say that would sufficiently answer her questions. Everything that came to mind would only result in endless more questions. They would also make him sound like a terrible human being, something he liked to think that on the off-chance he might not be.

They found a large flat rock and sat down, Rogue patiently waiting for him to speak as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to him. It had stopped raining on their walk down and Rogue attempted to rearrange her hair without drawing too much attention.

He gazed blindly into the darkness that stretched out like a blanket over the bay and yet no answers revealed themselves to him. He sighed squeezing her hip slightly and looked down at her. She seemed to glow in the moonlight and he smiled before swallowing hard. "I worked f' Magneto. Magneto's gone now. What else d' y' want t' know?" he asked.

"Well," she said slowly. "How about where you lived before that. What you did before that." She gazed up at him with hopeful, emerald eyes and he smiled again.

All he wanted was to be the man she wanted him to be. He wanted to be the good guy, so why did it seem so difficult? "I ne'er knew my real parents. I jus' remember growin' up on de streets, pickin' pockets t' stay alive. Une day, I picked de wrong pocket. His name was Jean-Luc LeBeau an' he was de leader of de Guild of T'ieves. Instead of beatin' _moi_ or worse, he adopted me. Dey called me _'le diable blanc_'."

"The white devil," she translated and Remy nodded in affirmation.

"De man taught me ev'ryt'in' I know, an' not jus' 'bout stealin'. Taught me what it meant t' have _famille_." Remy paused and Rogue hugged him gently, encouraging him to continue. "When _mon _powers developed _trois_ years ago, dat's when I started t'rowin' cards an' got de name 'Gambit'. I was workin' bigger an' bigger jobs, movin' up in de family, in de guild..." He trailed off not sure where to take the story from there. He didn't want to say too much more. He didn't want to ruin this moment with Rogue by bringing up Bella Donna. "Den a job went bad. I was in trouble, _Chere_. Magneto made me an offer. He would make de trouble go away an' I would go work f' him. Y' know de rest."

Rogue smiled and gave him a light jab to the shoulder. "That wasn' so bad, was it, Sugah?"

Remy just shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. "Y' still gonna love me when I'm gone, _Chere_?"

"Where ya goin', Cajun?"

"Nowhere f' now."

* * *

><p>Logan knocked on the door to Kitty and Rogue's bedroom and was surprised that there was no loud music already coming from inside. He knew that she had not gone with the others into the city this weekend so therefore she should have been in her room blasting music and reading. "Open up, Rogue," he said gruffly as he pounded on the door again. "You've got thirty seconds to open this door before I come in." Silence greeted him. He growled under his breath before using the master key to allow himself in.<p>

The room was completely empty. "Where the hell..."

"Chuck, Rogue's gone. Where is she?" Logan asked as he walked right into the professor's office without any notice.

Xavier sat behind his desk, his fingers steepled beneath his chin in thought, his eyes closed. After a moment he shook his head, breaking the tranquility he had been exuding. When he opened his eyes, the expression on his face instantly gave Logan reason to worry. "I cannot sense her presence. She must be behind some kind of powerful energetic field."

"Like Magneto's?" Logan growled.

"No, I don't believe it is," Xavier said sadly. "I'm fairly certain that my old friend has passed on. I believe the cause of Rogue's current state is in fact Gambit."

* * *

><p>Rogue leaned her head onto Gambit's shoulder and sighed as she watched the waves crash onto the rocky beach. Something about Remy opening up to her had confirmed what she'd already known: he wasn't a bad guy. He was just a guy who'd been put into different life situations than most. "Mah real name's Marie D'Ancanto," she said softly and Remy nearly jumped when she spoke. He hadn't been expecting her to speak. "E'er since Ah was li'l though, ev'ryone's been callin' meh Rogue. Ah grew up in Caldecott county, Mississippi with mah father. There wasn' much ta do, an we didn' get along so well, so Ah ran away. A lady named Raven Darkholme found meh an' took meh ta live with her an' another lady named Irene. Ya might know 'em better as Mystique an' Destiny."<p>

Rogue glanced up at Remy to see that he was completely enraptured and she smiled with his encouragement to go on. She couldn't explain why she was telling him all this. She hadn't told anyone else at the institute, not Kitty, not even the professor. "Ah lived with 'em up 'til last year when _it _happened. Ah was at a dance an' Ah fell. When he tried ta help meh back up, mah powers kicked in. Ah knocked 'im unconscious an' ev'rythin' 'bout him' became a part of meh. Ah didn't e'en know who Ah was anymore." Rogue's voice faltered as she remembered the fear that she'd experienced. Every story she'd ever heard about amnesia could not have prepared her for what she'd been through that night.

A tear fell, and Remy instinctively reached over and wiped it away with his thumb. Rogue froze at the sight of his bare hand and she jumped away as if she'd been shot. Remy remained seated staring up at her, surprised by her reaction. "What the hell did ya jus' do?" She reached up to touch her cheek where head and kept staring back at him. There had been nothing, no memories that launched themselves at her like missiles and no surge of power that she was ill equipped to control.

Remy stared down at his own hands and frowned. He'd forgotten to bring gloves with him tonight but he'd mentally told himself he'd hold back. Apparently he'd forgotten that promise in the moment. He watched as she sat down on the sand and hugged her knees up to her chest. She really was crying now and he felt helpless as he was the cause of it for certain. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder before crouching down. "Rogue." He said her name so softly that it calmed her, but only a little as she began to violently shake her head.

"Jus' go. Ah don' wanna hurt ya. Ah might still hurt ya." She looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear.

"We'll go talk t' y' professor den. He'll know what t' do, non?" He held out his hand for her to take and Rogue reluctantly placed her gloved hand in his as she allowed him to pull her back up.

"Jus' be careful. Ah might still hurt ya."

* * *

><p>Logan sniffed at the air and his nose wrinkled at the combination of gumbo and aftershave. Magneto would have been hard to track, but not Gambit. Gambit might as well have left him a bread crumb trail that led down towards the bay. Logan disembarked his motorcycle and looked down the beach to see Rogue and Remy walking towards him, silhouetted against the moonlit water. She was crying, her sobs racking her thin frame as Gambit held her up on her feet.<p>

He moved swiftly and silently amongst the rocks until he was able to make a flanking assault, tackling Remy into the sand. The Cajun looked shocked as he was pinned down, a metal claw on either side of his neck, a third slowly moving in towards his Adam's apple.

"Logan, stop! Don't hurt him, please!" She was shouting through her tears as she tried to pull Logan off. "Let him go! Come on, Logan. He hasn't done anything. Just let him go!"

"Please _Messiur_. She speaks de truth. I was only tryin' t' help her," Remy said holding up his hands submissively. "But y' do what y' t'ink is best, _non_?"

"You can help by shutting up, Gumbo. Now what's going on, Stripes?"

"Ah don't know! That's what Ah've been tryin' to tell ya."

"Did he try and hurt you?"

"No, please just let him go!" She was on her knees beside them, tears rolling down her cheeks as she kept tugging on Logan's arm.

Against his better judgement, Logan stood up allowing Remy to push himself slowly up into a sitting position as he rubbed at his neck. Logan just growled as he looked down at Rogue. "Fine, now start talkin'."


	6. From This Moment

**FYI:**  
>I do not own the X-men or "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain<p>

**Chapter 6: From This Moment**

Remy and Rogue sat in the professor's office next to one another. Both tried to ignore that Logan was standing directly behind them, closely watching as he leaned back against the wall. The could feel the anger coming off of him in waves as he crossed his arms tightly across his chest, one finger tapping restlessly against a burly forearm.

Rogue had managed to still her latest round of tears, her cheeks still felt damp though. Swallowing hard and avoiding a glance at Remy, she dug her hands down into the pockets of his coat that she was still wearing. Her fingers felt around a piece of stiff paper and she slid it out slowly to look at it. She stared down at the Queen of Hearts and after a moment's hesitation, she palmed it, running her thumb across the smooth surface.

The door opened and the professor entered with a broad smile on his face. "I believe I might know what's going on," he said as he maneuvered into position behind his desk.

"Well, it's about time somebody started talking," Logan growled glaring down at the back of Remy and Rogue's heads. Neither of them had managed anything comprehensible since he'd found them.

"Logan, I believe it would best if you left. Remy obviously means no harm to Rogue and so I think we just need to sort a few things out."

Logan looked at Charles as if he were out of his mind, cast one more menacing look at Remy as if daring the boy to try something in his absence and left, banging the door shut behind him. As the door opened and shut they were able to capture a fleeting moment of the mansion's normal hustle and bustle as the students appeared to be back from wherever their weekend excursions had taken them.

Rogue continued to keep her gaze down, only barely looking up at the professor through her eyelashes. Her heart was still pounding, as if trying to escape her chest. First Remy touching her without gloves on and as if that hadn't been enough, Logan finding them on the beach in a huff. He'd acted as if she'd been kidnapped.

"Remy, your powers to charge objects with kinetic energy comes from a field of energy that you yourself produce. It protects you from the detection of psychics and would explain why I was unable to locate the two of you earlier."

Rogue finally looked up, her hand tightening around the card for a moment. "But why couldn' ya sense meh?"

"Well, when Remy touches someone, that field extends itself around the other person as well," Xavier explained. "Thus, it was protecting both of you, not just himself." Rogue turned to look at Remy but he looked just as surprised. While his gaze was directed at the professor, it was glassy and distant as if he were lost in thought. "It would also seem that this same field of energy also protects you from Rogue's absorption powers."

Remy's hand shot over and grabbed Rogue's, forcing her to stop the wringing motion she had started at the beginning of the conversation. His reaction caused her heart to restart from the shock that she could actually touch _someone_. The fact that she was able to touch him of all the people on the planet was just too good to be true. She squeezed his hand in return. She looked over at him to see that he was staring at her, his eyes wide, a smile growing on his face. "So de _belle fille _can't hurt _moi_?"

"No."

"A-Ah don' understand," Rogue started, still staring into Remy's red on black eyes. Finally she tore her gaze away and looked at the professor. "Ah've absorbed 'im b'fore. What happened? What's changed?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Remy, but since Apocalypse's release, your powers have evolved somewhat, giving you more control over the energy field that surrounds your body and how you apply it."

"Oui, but I didn't t'ink my powers evolved t'at much, Messiur. I didn't even know I was protected from psychics, let alone Rogue."

Rogue was still trying to get over the shock that she could touch him. All of her previous doubts and fears had been limited to and surrounded the sole reason of not being able to touch. The opportunities this was opening to her was more than she could fathom. She was afraid to even speak for fear that it would dissipate like a dream does upon waking.

"Rogue, if you could give Gambit and I a moment to discuss some things."

Rogue was startled, half afraid that her bubble of happiness was already bursting. She looked fearfully at the professor, millions of pleas and thoughts running through her mind. Most taking the form of 'please, don't take this away from me.'

_Rogue, I'm going to ask Remy to stay here-to become an X-Man._

Rogue's eyes widened and she nodded imperceptibly as she slowly stood up. She gave Remy another squeeze to the hand and smiled warmly at him. Going out the door, she nearly ran into Colossus and she froze as she stared up at his enormous form.

"I am sorry," he said politely as he caught the door behind her and stepped in. Rogue glanced back to see that he was taking the seat she'd just abandoned and that the professor was still smiling, his fingers touching just beneath his chin.

She turned and walked down the hallway, and once she reached the main foyer, she walked slowly up the stairs. She was starting to feel the day draining on her. So much had happened in so little time and she still hadn't processed it all. She could only hope that after sleeping she'd wake to find it had all been very real indeed. She just hoped that she was ready to accept everything that came with that. Remy would be an X-Man if he chose. There was also a very good chance that he would be her boyfriend too, if he chose. She hugged her pillow tightly as fear gripped her chest. She prayed fiercely that he hadn't been toying with her and eventually she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Hey sleepyhead! Like are you going to sleep all day?"<p>

"Go away," Rogue muttered, burying her head deeper under the blankets to avoid not just Kitty but also the sunlight that was pouring into their bedroom. She wanted to go back to her dream, back to where the world was wonderful and her prayers had been answered. She felt a bounce on the end of her bed, and she slowly pulled down a corner of the comforter to peek out at Kitty. Kitty bounced once more for emphasis. "What time is it?"

"Time for you to like get up before you miss all the fun!" Rogue just narrowed her eyes and Kitty rolled her eyes as she bounced away. She was already dressed for the day in a pink, short sleeve, button down blouse and cut off jeans. She danced to music that only she could hear as she spun and twirled before landing on her own bed.

"What fun?" Rogue asked deciding that if her alarm clock was accurate, that ten o'clock was an acceptable hour to get up. She fumbled through her dresser drawer trying to find clothes and tossed out a tank top, jeans, and a long sleeve blouse.

"Of course, you were like dead to the world when I came in last night so you haven't heard. Gambit and Colossus are like moving in. I mean, Remy and Piotr," she corrected herself. "The big guy is actually like really cute when he's not all scary." She waited impatiently for Rogue to finish changing before she grabbed Rogue's hand and phased them both through their bedroom floor into the library below. She then dragged Rogue into the main hall where everybody was gathered at the front door vying for the best view. Kitty decided that there was no reason to elbow in, and simply phased through the younger students until she and Rogue were at the front of the queue.

Rogue's jaw dropped as she recognized Remy standing next to his red and black motorcycle. Piotr was nearby with a larger bike and they were talking to the profesor, Scott and Logan, the latter two who didn't look at all happy with the new recruits. "Don't you think Piotr is cute? He's so quiet all the time. I bet he's really just a softie," Kitty sighed.

"Uh huh..." Rogue was barely listening as her eyes were glued on Remy. It had not been a dream. He was really here. He had chosen to accept the professor's offer. Remy turned, seemingly feeling he rgaze and smiled. He waved to her and all of the students seemed to be embarassed at being caught as half of them quickly scrambled away. But Rogue had the opposite reaction. She opened the door and stepped outside. She needed to verify that it had been real. "Hey," she said uncertainly as she walked down the stairs.

"_Bonjour, mon cherie_," Remy said with a fluorished bow before taking her hand and kissing the back of it. After a pause, he used his other hand to push back the sleeve of her blouse and kissed the bare skin above her wrist. Rogue thought she was going to pass out from fright but nothing happened. He straightened and kissed her on the cheek and the blood rose quickly to her cheeks.

There was a collected gasp from the students remaining at the door and Rogue's cheeks burned even hotter. They were stunned not only by Remy's affections, but that he was still standing.

"I'm glad the two of you decided to join us," the professor said breaking the moment.

Remy turned and smiled down at the man. "It wasn' a hard decision to make, _Messiur_." He still had a hold of Rogue's hand and squeezed it tighter when he felt her try to pull away. He was having far too much fun embarassing her to let her escape.

Kitty appeared at Piotr's elbow and smiled warmly as she laced her arm through his. "Hey, like why don't we give you guys the tour?" He looked slightly startled at her appearance and the way that she had gotten so close without his notice before then.

The professor just nodded and agreed. "That's a wonderful idea, Kitty. We'll see you all for lunch then." He wheeled away with Logan following him with just one final glance over his shoulder.

Scott however stayed behind to get something off his chest. His gaze shifted from Piotr to Remy and lingered. "Just because you guys live here, doesn't mean we trust you. Trust comes with time and is earned with the X-Men." He turned on his heel and went back up the front steps causing the remaining students to scatter in order to get out of his way.

Remy looked down at Rogue and raised an eyebrow. "One-Eye always dat uptight?" he asked and Rogue bit her lower lip to stop from laughing.

"Like what a jerk! Just ignore him," Kitty advised. "Come on, Softy, I'll be giving you like the grand tour." With that Kitty dragged Piotr away leaving Remy and Rogue alone for the first time since the evening before on the beach.

"Ah'm so sorry 'bout last night," Rogue said after a moment of crushing silence. "Ah kinda freaked out a li'l. Can ya forgive meh?" She could feel eyes on the back of her head and she glanced back to see that a crowd had formed at the front door once again.

Remy just smiled as he wrapped an arm around her waist and led her away from the gawking crowd. She leaned into him comfortably as they rounded the corner of the mansion and was playing absent-mindedly with her gloves. The hottest part of the summer was always the worst for her. "Why don' y' take dem off, Marie?"

Rogue looked up at him in surprise at the suggestion but realized that with him, it wasn't a requirement. She slipped off one glove and then the other, and for the first time in a long time, she reached up and touched someone else's face. His cheek was warm and rough with unshaved fuzz. She ran her thumb along his lower lip before brushing it through his goatee and he smiled as he pulled her closer to him. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips gently, his lips cupping her lower one and Rogue closed her eyes as she waited for the flood of memories and the rush of power. But there was nothing but the warm breath that escaped through is barely parted lips. When she reopened her eyes she could see that he was chuckling, a smirk growing on his deliciously, kissable lips. "What's so funny?"

"You, _Chere_. Y' frightened of jus' a _petite _kiss." He held his hand up to show that his forefinger and thumb were just barely parted and she batted his hand down.

"Ah ain't scared," she stated firmly but he was still grinning as he leaned down and kissed her again. It was a long passionate one, the kind that she'd been dreaming of ever since she'd found out that she'd never be allowed to touch anyone again. The only difference being that it was better than any that she'd dreamt of.

Remy was still smiling when they parted. He loved the looks that would cross her face. The sheer amazement she was wearing almost all the time was worth more than any diamond he could ever steal. He also couldn't help but think that she was an incredibly good kisser considering this must have been her first. There was something about being her first kiss that he liked. "What have dey been teachin' y' in French class, Marie?"

"You'll jus' have ta come ta school an' find out, Sugah," she teased as she let her fingers entwine in his.

His thumb grazed lazily over the back of her hand and it sent shivers up her arm and spine. "I guess so." Remy hadn't even considered going back to school ever since he'd dropped out. He had considered it unnecessary for a thief to have what was considered a traditional education. He had been doing quite fine without it so far. But a part of him was now looking forward to the idea of being a normal boy and going to school as long as it was with her.

Rogue guided him away from the mansion towards a white gazebo on the grounds and pulled away from his embrace just long enough to summon an elevator. Remy watched as the floor parted to reveal the metal box that they then stepped inside in order to be carried down into the lower levels of the complex. That's when she began her real tour.

Remy's head was spinning. As much training as he'd received to remember floor layouts and to know where his exit was at all times, he couldn't remember how many floors underground he was let alone which direction to turn to go back to an elevator. There were weight rooms, classrooms, an armory of weapons, you name it, it was there. The last thing she showed him was a large empty dome shaped room with nothing in it. "What's this, _Chere_?"

"This is the Danger Room," she replied calmly as if it was no big deal. "We do almost all of our trainin's here."

"Strange name. Dere ain't anyt'in' dangerous about dis place," he commented as he stared up at the ceiling and noted that there was a small control room up there.

"Well, you'll see fo' yo'self later on. But if we don' get ta lunch soon, there won' be any food left. The boys here really know how ta eat." She led him down a few more corridors and they arrived at an elevator.

As the doors opened they heard a shout and paused as Kitty came running up to them literally dragging Piotr behind her. "I was like just thinking that if we missed the elevator with you guys, that poor Piotr wouldn't get any food." Kitty smiled up at Piotr who gave her a slightly shaky smile in return. He still wasn't quite sure what to make of her bubbly personality. "So, like what do you think?" she asked as the elevator started to move upwards.

Remy knew that his response would be severely understating how he felt but knew of no other words to use. "Impressive," he admitted.

"Yes, that is what I thought too," Piotr agreed.

Kitty laughed as she gave Piotr's arm a squeeze. "Like, I told you, you can't help but love this place, you big softy." A slight blush rose on Piotr's face in response to Kitty's actions causing Remy and Rogue both to smirk a little. "I just had a totally great idea," Kitty gushed as they got off the elevators.

"Uh oh, don' strain yo'self too much," Rogue teased causing Kitty to pout.

"Like I was saying, why don't we take you guys shopping? You're like gonna need clothes and all kidns of new stuff to start school."

Remy and Piotr both blanched a little but for different reasons. Remy was still on the fence about school. Piotr couldn't afford a shopping trip. Noticing his friend's discomfort, Remy spoke up, "Dat's really not necessary. I have enough clothes t' get me by." Piotr nodded heartily in agreement but the girls would have none of it.

"Those silk shirts of yo's ain't gonna cut it in the winter, Sugah. Ah don' know what ya expected, but it does snow here-a lot," Rogue teased as she pulled at the material draped over Gambit's chest.

"Besides, it's like against the law to wear old clothes to school for at least a week!"

"I do not have any money for this type of shopping," Piotr finally admitted hoping that the conversation would end.

"Relax, like the professor covers all that kind of stuff, especially for the kids who like don't have any family…" Kitty trailed off when she realized that she'd touched a nerve with Rogue and smiled apologetically.

Remy squeezed Rogue's hand reassuringly and looked down at Kitty and smiled. "In a place like t'is, aren't you all family?"

Rogue shot Remy a grateful smile and Kitty jumped at the absolution. "Of course!" She was grateful for the save. "So it's settled. Tomorrow, we're taking you boys to shop, 'til you drop."


	7. Lonely Day

**WarriorPrincess1980: **I think you might have just made my day. They're on Netflix? Excuse me while I go watch the entire series all over again and take abuse from my fiance for doing so. Well, this series of stories was originally written while the series was still on air (I'm now rewriting it in order to improve the prose). Thus, this particular story was written prior to Cajun Spice. If you follow along, eventually I will work in Cajun Spice a little later on in my AU series.

**FYI:**  
>I do not own the X-Men or "Lonely Day" by Phantom Planet<p>

**Chapter 7: Lonely Day**

The four teens met in the mansion's garage and after a discussion of which vehichle to take, there was a resounding 'no' on the idea of allowing Kitty to drive the Hummer. The only hesitation had come from Piotr who seemed afraid to offend Kitty. Instead, Rogue would drive the Jeep that Logan had finally managed to repair after it's last soured outing into Bayville.

Remy jumped into the front passenger seat and proceeded to play the backseat driver, essentially getting back at Rogue for her commentary on his driving ability of his motorcycle. "Aren't y' drivin' a little fast, _Chere_?"

"Ya ain't scared of mah drivin', are ya?" she teased in return, casting him a quick sideways glance to see that he was actually quite relaxed in his seat.

He had a pair of sunglasses on that he'd found in the glove box and was peeking out over the top of them at her as he winked. "_Non_, jus' used t' being de one behind de wheel."

Rogue smiled. She loved how they were constantly picking at each other. It felt natural between them, as if they'd known each other for years and years instead of just a few weeks. She pulled into the mall parking lot and before Kitty was even out of the car, she was planning her tour de force through the mall. "So, we'll like get started at Kohl's and then try Sears next..."

"No, ya guys go on," Rogue interrupted as Remy quickly pulled her into his side. She playfully batted him away but made no progress as he had her about the waist.

Kitty pouted as she looked from Rogue to Remy and then back to Rogue. "Why?"

"Ain't it obvious?" Rogue asked. "These boys are nothin' alike. They ain't gonna shop in the same store."

Kitty's eyes widened with the realization and then she grinned wickedly. "Well, I guess if Piotr and I have to go it alone...but we'll like meet up at the food court, right?"

They agreed to all split up and meet in the food court for lunch. Remy smiled as he led Rogue across the lot towards the closest main entrance while Kitty was leading Piotr away towards the nearest department store. "Yo' a take control kind of _fille, Chere_."

"Ya got a problem with that?" Rogue asked as he held the door open for her.

He shook his head in the negative as he made a sweeping bow. "_Non_. Not at all." They headed into the nearby Hot Topic and Rogue began sifting through a pile of t-shirts in the back. Meanwhile, Remy was standing out of her line of sight and whistling.

She lifted an eyebrow in suspicion as the whistling continued tunelessly. She knew better. He was pretending at innocence but she could count on him being up to something. "What do ya think of this one?" she asked holding up a black shirt with a pair of flaming aces screen printed on it. Her response was a sharp nip of a pinch on the butt. She whirled to face him but he was already sifting through another rack and still whistling as if he had done nothing.

He shrugged his shoulders and Rogue pushed up her sleeve as if preparing to slug him and he quickly threw up his hands in defense. "I was only playin', _Chere_."

She just laughed at him as she tossed the shirt in his face. "Seriously, what do ya think?" she asked again. He pulled the shirt down from his face and nodded and she laughed again as she restarted her search. He was probably too scared to disagree.

* * *

><p>They spent the next few hours moving from store to store buying him all of the essentials he would need including a decent pair of boots. Rogue had been very patient with him on this considering how much effort it had taken to convince him to leave his uniform boots at home for the day. She had somehow convinced him to borrow a pair of Kurt's sneakers but only after he made it very clear that his boots were the least of their worries as far as standing out in a crowd.<p>

Rogue smiled at him as he gazed over the top of his sunglasses at her, tying up the laces on pair of heavy, black motorcycle boots. "Ah take it ya like those," she commented.

Remy rotated his foot to the side to look at the boot and nodded. "_Oui. _Dey'll do."

She paid for the boots so that he could wear them out of the store and found that he had wandered a little ways down the main concourse towards a store that had a display of swimsuits sitting out front. He paused looking at the rack before looking back to her as he lifted a bikini up that would leave nothing to the imagination. "Y' haven' bought anyt'ing f' y'self, _Chere_."

He dangled it under her nose when she approached and she rolled her eyes. "Yo' kiddin', right? Ah'd be a walkin' death trap in that." She grabbed it from him and shoved it roughly back onto the rack causing him to pout. "Look Sugah, Ah ain't tryin' it on, so save yo' puppy dog eyes fo' the cashier."

"Why would Remy do dat?" he asked slipping into his old mannerisms as he attempted to play cute.

"'Cause Ah know yo' gonna flirt with her. Ya do it with all the girls ya come across."

"I have no reason t' flirt when I've got y', _non_?"

"Whatever," Rogue mumbled looking away. She tried to ignore the fact that he'd already been flirting with just about every other female store employee they'd come across all day, and still he had the nerve to deny it.

"It's not 'whatever'," Remy argued as he ran around the rack until he was standing in front of her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and spoke so seriously that Rogue actually found it difficult to believe this was the same Remy LeBeau. "I don' want any ot'er _fille_. None of dem could compare t' y', Marie." It forced Rogue to smile again and he smiled in return before tweaking her chin as he winked. "At least try one of dem on, _Chere_," he said pointing to a rack behind him that was filled with leather jackets.

"Fine, if it'll get ya to quit buggin' me," Rogue said as she brushed past him to take a closer look. She pulled out a brown leather bomber and tried it on. It was warm and heavy, smelled of new leather and remind Rogue of Remy's jacket that she'd borrowed so many times. She just wanted to snuggle into the jacket and never take it off again. But she did take it off as she walked straight to the counter to pay and tried very hard not to pay any attention to the smirk that Remy was wearing.

As they left the store, Remy took Rogue by the hand and led her back onto the concourse. There, they saw Kitty and Piotr approaching from the other side. Kitty was holding onto Piotr's arm and talking nonstop, but it didn't look like Piotr minded in the least bit. "We might as well join 'em," Rogue commented smiling up at Remy. She was glad that she wasn't the only one to find some happiness in the new arrangement of adopting Magneto's old Alcolytes.

* * *

><p>Almost nothing got Kitty as excited as shopping did. So today, she was on cloud nine because the thing that came in as a close tie to shopping, was flirting. So being able to spend the day shopping for a handsome, Russian boy was putting Kitty into a tizzy of happiness. She was so wrapped up in her whirlwind of excitement that she didn't notice that no one else seemed to care about her careful rendition of each and every purchase that she pulled from the shopping bags. And when she finished showing of Piotr's new wardrobe, she wanted to know what Rogue and Remy had found that was currently hidden inside brown and white shopping bags. "Please, please, please, show me something at least," Kitty begged.<p>

"Why don' ya jus' look fo' yo'self?" Rogue asked as she took another bite of her pizza. "Better yet, wait an' see when Remy shows up around the mansion wearin' it all."

"You like didn't get a single thing for yourself?" Kitty squealed. "I think I like bought at least four new shirts."

Remy smirked as he started to gently nudge one of their shopping bags towards Kitty. "_Petite_, jus' take a peek if y' want."

Rogue caught what Remy was doing and shot him a glare as Kitty dove into the bag and pulled out the bomber jacket. She held it up and turned it around to inspect it and then looked at Remy and Rogue. Even she could not miss the similarities between the jacket she was holding and the one that Remy wore. The same color, leather, weight and drape. Rogue's was just cut a lot shorter. "You two are like totally going out, aren't you? Why didn't you tell me? We're roomies," Kitty pouted at Rogue.

Rogue sighed resting her burning cheeks into her hands. She hated feeling like this. She didn't like the awkwardness of everyone fawning over her all the time. And now that she was actually capable of dating someone she felt like it was getting worse. She'd have to deal with all the girly talk that she'd done so well to ignore before.

To Remy though, her blushing response made it official. He grinned ear-to-ear as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Y' don' need t' be embarassed in front of _votre amis, Chere_."

She shot him a glance that said he was wrong, dead wrong and he slowly leaned back. "Excuse meh," she said standing up and turned towards the restrooms.

"So, how long have you two been going out?" Kitty asked. "Is that like why you were so anxious to go with Mr. Logan to find her?"

"A little, _Petite_," Remy admitted laughing as he held up his thumb and forefinger to show how close she was to guessing correctly.

When Rogue still had not returned after a few minutes, Piotr suggested to Kitty that they try to find him a few more clothes. Remy smiled gratefully to his friend and promised that they'd all meet at the Jeep by three o'clock. He leaned back in his chair and watched as their friends left and then turned his attention to the door of the ladies' restroom.

He wondered if he'd be able to slip in there without getting caught and placed his odds at only decent. The food court was busy and it seemed that there was a relatively steady flow in and out. It was going to be a lonely day if he had to sit here and wait all day. Especially when he was trying to ignore a table of teenage girls sitting nearby that were vying desperately for his attention. Also, there were far too many tempting pockets to pick. What was a born thief to do surrounded by so much temptation?

Remy had only been distracted for a few moments, but apparently that's all the longer it had taken for him to miss Rogue coming out of the bathroom. He took quite a few double takes to make sure he was seeing things right but it was definitely his Marie and she was holding hands with some other guy as they walked away from the food court. As he watched, she leaned into his shoulder and whispered something into his ear that made them both laugh. Remy stood up trying to get a better view as they turned a corner and were out of his line of sight. It had most definitely been Rogue. He could not mistake her unique hair and petite frame for anyone else's.

His jealously flared and after another moment's hesitation, he followed in the direction they'd gone leaving behind all of the bags of new clothes. Apparently it was going to be a lonelier day than he'd first guessed.

* * *

><p>Rogue washed her face again and again in the sink. All of her make up had been removed, granted it'd been running down her face with her tears so she'd had no choice. Now, clean, a little red around the eyes, and feeling slightly, just slightly better she decided that she could go back out there. She was mad at herself for getting so worked up, but it was all happening too fast for her. And she wasn't ready yet for another wave of attention to come flooding over her. Not so soon after the Apocalypse ordeal.<p>

Rogue left the bathroom and was glad to see that Remy was still sitting in the food court surrounded by their shopping bags. She smiled and quickened her pace to meet him. "Ah'm sorry fo' makin' ya wait," she said sheepishly.

"Y' alright, _Cheri?"_

"Ah'm fine. Ah jus' needed ta clear mah head," she admitted as he stood up and gathered all of their bags together.

"So where are Kitty an' Piotr? She drag him shoppin' some more?" Rogue asked as she picked up two of the remaining bags.

"Dey gonna get a ride wit' somebody else. Gambit figured we could use some alone time," he said as he directed her towards the main entrance of the mall and Rogue watched him curiously. He hadn't been using the third person in a while. Was he trying to charm her for some reason?

When he started off in the wrong direction, Rogue stopped still in the middle of the parking lot. "Remy, what's wrong?"

"Nuttin'," he said looking back at her. "_Pourquoi_?"

"'Cause that ain't the direction the Jeep is parked in. Where are ya goin'? An' why the hurry?"

"Gambit's jus' preoccupied, _Cheri_," he said flashing her a smile as he started to follow her instead.

They loaded the bags into the back of the Jeep and Rogue climbed into the passenger seat as Remy climbed into the driver's seat. He turned over the engine and pulled out of the lot quickly and Rogue leaned back in her seat until she realized they'd missed their exit for going back to the institute. "Okay, what's goin' on? Why ain't we goin' back home?" He kept driving straight down the highway and Rogue turned to stare at him sharply. "Yo' scarin' meh, Remy. What's goin' on?"

"Scaring you is the entire point, _mon cheri_."

It took that moment of fear, the kind that eats away the pit of your stomach, to make Logan's senses dredge themselves up and make themselves useful. This was not Remy.

* * *

><p>Remy had managed to lose track of the couple as he walked down the concourse and he was about to give up and leave the mall entirely when he noticed a figure slumped over in the entrance to a maintenance hall. He tried to jiggle the door handle but it didn't give as he looked in through the small window. It was the boy that Rogue had been with earlier but she was now nowhere to be seen.<p>

He quickly turned, running back to the food court and saw that all of their packages were gone. Why would she have bothered to take them? Remy turned feeling lost for a moment as he tried to clear his head.

"What is the matter, my friend?" Remy looked up to see that Piotr was attached to the heavy hand that had landed on his shoulder and managed a very weak smile. "Where is Rogue?"

"I lost her," he admitted before swallowing. He was still trying to figure out how. Had she left willingly with that boy? Had she done that to him?

"When? We saw you leaving the food court with her like not even ten minutes ago. We were gonna catch up but I saw these really cute shoes," Kitty said pulling out a pair of flats for Remy to inspect.

Even though he was looking at the shoes, he did not see them. "You saw us? Together?" he asked. He couldn't believe his ears. First he'd seen Rogue leave with some boy he'd later found to be unconscious behind a locked door and then to hear that apparently he had been the one to leave with Rogue even later than that?

Kitty nodded in affirmation and Remy's head began to spin even faster. "Remy was on de ot'er side of de mall, _mon amis_. Whomever Rogue was wit', it was not _moi_."

Kitty frowned deeply and then shook her head. "I know it was you. I could like make out your eyes. Who else could have eyes like yours?" She was positive it had to have been him. He had been dressed exactly as he was now and was leading Rogue out of the mall and carrying their bags. How could it have been anyone but him?

"Mystique," Piotr said quietly looking at Remy. "She could have survived."

"_Non...non, non, non..._" Remy muttered. "Dis ain't good at all."


	8. Save Me

**Chapter 8: Save Me**

**FYI:**  
>I don't own the X-men or "Save Me" by Remy Zero<p>

* * *

><p>Rogue felt as if she were trying to breathe through a paper bag. It was difficult to get her breath, let alone try and form words. Granted, that would have required her brain to put together a coherent sentence first. She had just witnessed her boyfriend shrinking and turning a brilliant shade of blue before her very own eyes. "Holy shit...Mystique? But how? Ah mean...yo' dead." She had squirmed over in her seat as far as she physically could without actually exiting the vehicle as it roared down the road at sixty miles per hour.<p>

Mystique said nothing as she turned to gaze at Rogue causing her to become overcome with the irrational fear that they might crash. Surely that should have been second to the fact that her mother, the woman she was personally responsible for killing, was driving the vehicle.

Rogue was now seriously contemplating exiting the car as a viable option. Mystique looked as if she really were dead. Her eyes weren't even the amber that Rogue remembered but instead glowed an eerie white and it appeared that wires were zig zagging across the blue skin. As Rogue gripped the door handle she made herself a promise to go home and immediately destroy her copy of _Dawn of the Dead_. As she pulled the handle and the door swung open, Mystique reached out and grabbed Rogue by the front of her shirt as she also slammed the brakes hard enough to cause the door to swing back shut again, hitting Rogue in the head causing the girl to go swimming into the darkness.

* * *

><p>Remy anxiously boarded the Velocity with Kitty and Piotr closely following behind him. Once aboard he was greeted by Storm who ushered them all towards the back end where there were uniforms waiting for them to change into. Remy didn't even pay attention to what he was putting on as he quickly shed his own clothes and changed into the black spandex-like suit. He slid his jacket back on and quickly felt his pockets making sure that he still had plenty of cards on his person. One pocket contained a single card and he pulled it seeing that it was the Queen of Hearts and he frowned.<p>

Kitty saw Remy's expression and placed a hand on his arm. "We're gonna get her back. Don't worry." She gave him a feeble smile and he forced himself to return it.

He moved to the front of the helicopter and found Logan piloting with Beast navigating them towards a beacon that must have been located in the Jeep. His hands gripped the backs of their seats as he mentally berated himself for being tricked.

* * *

><p>Remy ran into the warehouse, pulling a card from his pocket and charging it to cast a glow around the largely empty space. Logan was close behind him, sniffing the air heavily and quickly pushed past Remy to move further down the aisle made from crates. "Well, <em>mon ami<em>?" He didn't get an answer as Logan took off at a run disappearing past the the circle of light that Remy's card was casting.

Remy took after him, dodging between crates until he saw Rogue's form draped over the top of a crate. He passed the smaller man and was at her side, his fingers gently brushing down over her in a tender, concerned caress. _"Chere_..." Blood seeped from a wound on her forehead but she looked to be uninjured otherwise as he gently brushed away the hair that had become matted to her face. "Wake up, _Chere_."

Suddenly he was knocked aside, as Logan was bodily flung into him. Remy recovered quickly, rolling to the side as he reached into his pocket and removed a fistful of playing cards charging them all. His other hand pulled out his bo staff which he telescoped out to its full length and held out in front of him defensively. The glowing cards did not reveal much but he could see a movement in the shadows and he let a card go flying.

Mystique stepped out of the shadows and instantly began charging him. Remy's eyes snapped open wide to see that there was a gaping hole in her torso that was healing. But that was not half so disconcerting as the fact that her hands were being replaced by a pair of lethal looking blades. He jumped back just in time as she swung at him and then jumped up on top of a crate that she smashed through. He released an entire line of cards in front of him in defense as he leaped through the air over top of her.

Mystique shape shifted into the largest raven that Remy had ever seen and he ducked as it flew at his head and then flew straight up to avoid Logan's claws. "She's got a few new tricks, _non_?" Remy said raising an eyebrow as he pivoted to try and keep the dark bird in his line of sight but it was difficult in the dark.

"Looks like, Gumbo," Logan snarled as he quickly scaled up onto a pile of crates and made another swipe at the bird as she flew past. Remy unleashed a barrage of cards, but the bird continued to swoop and dive to avoid them.

The raven had disappeared, but so had Logan as Remy looked around to see that he seemed to be very much alone. Fearful for Rogue's sake, he ran back to where she was still lying unconscious and scooped her up in his arms determined to at least remove her from the situation. Logan was more than capable of taking care of himself.

He was nearly back to the main door of the warehouse when Logan came walking out of a row of crates towards him. "Gambit, you got her okay?"

Remy nodded and paused when he heard Logan call him by that name. He actually couldn't remember a single time that Logan hadn't called him 'Gumbo'. From the time that they'd teamed up to find Rogue in Tibet, he'd always been Gumbo to Logan and even Sabertooth had picked up on it knowing how much it bothered Remy. "_Ouias, mon ami_. But did y' get Mystique?"

Logan just smirked in response and Remy's blood ran cold. After her apparently near death experience, Mystique had come back far more powerful. She certainly had to be in order to take Logan out. Remy slowly laid Rogue back down on a crate and slowly reached one hand into an outer pocket. The only pocket holding one card. _Damn_. Remy fingered the Queen of Hearts and charged it before even removing it from his pocket.

But he was too slow as he could already feel the three claws slicing straight through his shoulder. The pain moved through him like a fire and he watched Logan turned back into Mystique. Remy found himself fixated on her glowing white eyes and he could not shake either the pain or the chill that insisted on running down his spine simultaneously.

Rogue groaned as she awoke to a pounding in her head. The last thing she could remember was looking down at the pavement that was sliding far too fast past the Jeep, the occasional reflector strip appearing and disappearing like a blip. But hers was not the only groan. She forced herself to roll over onto her side and screamed when she saw Mystique standing over Remy.

She fell of the crate none to gracefully landing on Mystique's back and knocking the woman aside. Scrambling onto her hands and knees, Rogue bent over Remy just long enough to see that he was bleeding profusely from the shoulder. "Remy? Mah God..."

A foot was planted into her stomach and she was flipped over onto her back staring up at the ceiling and also Mystique's face. Rogue blinked barely recognizing the woman if it hadn't been for the blue skin and orange hair. But this was definitely the same woman who'd pretended to be Remy, lured her out of the mall, and kidnapped her here...wherever that was. Now, she had hurt Remy as well. Rogue arched her back and regained her feet before Mystique could land another kick and Rogue wavered on her feet for a moment still woozy. She held her hands up in front of her defensively and blocked the next kick aimed at her chest.

They sparred and Rogue managed to turn them around so that she was standing between Mystique and Remy and held her ground, viciously attacking with kicks and strikes. Suddenly Logan appeared from the darkness and jumped at Mystique's back. As Rogue watched, the woman melted into a puddle on the ground as Logan dived through thin air and instead landed on Rogue. They fell back until Rogue was lying on the ground next to Remy and she turned her head to see that she was lying in his blood.

Logan quickly recovered and was back to fighting Mystique as Rogue rolled over onto her side to look down at Remy. Wordlessly, she tore the bottom off her shirt and wadded it up to hold to his shoulder. "Remy, ya stay with meh, ya hear?"

"_Chere_?" It was a feeble groan, but it made Rogue smile.

"Yeah, 's meh. Save yo' breath, okay. We're gonna get ya outta here," she said with a confidence she did not feel as already the fabric she held to his shoulder was soaking through. She cringed as her gloves started to get soaked as well and she quickly peeled them off and added them to the wadding. Before she could stop him, he reached up with his good hand and held one of hers giving her one of his trademark smirks.

Rogue jerked back quickly as she recognized the sensation of the bombarding memories and power. She closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing as she could feel his power sparking at her fingertips as if looking for something to charge up. It did not help that she now had his memories as well invading her mind and that she was seeing things that she would much rather not. She bit her bottom lip as she fought the urge to kick and scream at him but instead crawled back to him, reached into his pockets for his cards and turned to face the fight between Mystique and Logan.

"Logan, get back," she snarled as she unleashed the 52 grenades all at once directly at Mystique. She did not look to see what had happened but gazed back down at Remy and frowned deeply.

"You okay, Stripes?"

"Ah will be," she muttered, angrily brushing away the tears that had dared to start running down her cheeks before turning and walking out of the warehouse. Logan just blinked but knelt to pick up Remy and took off for the Velocity at a jog.

* * *

><p>Rogue sat beside Remy's bed in the med-bay and chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully. There were far too many pretty girls in Remy's past for her liking. She knew she shouldn't hold it against him, but she'd seen more details in living color than most women got the bare bones of verbally. She'd now been a witness to him taking advantage of some girl for the sake of a heist in Paris. She'd watched him get ready in his suit for a wedding to a beautiful blonde. She'd even bared witness to a few one night stands. And all it had taken was holding his hand for a brief moment.<p>

She huffed as she folded her gloved hands back into her lap and leaned back in her chair. He had not given her any reason to not trust him. But it was hard to accept that he was going to be trustworthy when he'd done so many rotten things in the past.

But she had now also seen things from his point of view that had happened more recently. The way he'd been watching her from a distance ever since their first encounter before the sentinels struck. The way he'd placed himself in the middle of Logan and Sabertooth to search the world over for her. The fact that he was the one who'd kept the two of them from killing each other long enough to find her. The soaring happiness he'd felt when he'd learned that he could touch her and that he couldn't wait to kiss her for the first time. Even the pang of jealousy when he'd thought she'd left him in the mall for someone else.

Her face crumpled a little from the angry look she'd been managing to maintain and she sighed. He was going to be impossible to stay mad at-at least for long. Especially if she was going to have all of his memories rolling around and around in her head.

Leaning forward, she rested her head on her arms along the side of his bed and gazed up at his sleeping face. "Why didn' ya tell meh, swamp rat? It'd been better if ya had. Granted we didn' seem ta have much time b'fore all this." She sighed heavily before closing her eyes. He'd been down here now for a little over a day and she hadn't much more than a few winks of sleep in the meantime.

Remy opened his eyes to see the mass of auburn and white hair spilling over the side of his bed and smiled. He entwined the strands around his fingers and Rogue sat up when she felt the gentle tugging. "Didn' know y' cared so much, _Chere_."

"Not exactly sure why Ah do," she muttered sitting back.

"Gambit don' blame y' f' bein' mad, _Chere_."

"Ah jus' wish ya woulda told meh 'bout 'em all first," she pouted crossing her arms over her chest.

Remy just smirked as he eased himself into a sitting position while leaning heavily back on the pillows. "Well, dey ain't nothin' compared t' y', _Chere_. Jus' f'got 'em ev'ry time I looked at y', _non_?"

Rogue didn't look impressed in the least. "Even yo' wife?" she asked raising an eyebrow. Remy blanched even more if that were possible and Rogue huffed. "Ya really are married, aren't ya? Ah know we were jus' startin' ta get ta know one another but a simple 'Ah'm married' woulda sufficed."

"Almos' married, _Chere_," Remy corrected and when Rogue stood up quickly he held his one good arm over his head in defense. "Almos'!"

She wheeled looking for something to throw and threw at him the first thing she could find not bolted down. The remote bounced off his forearm and he winced. "Almost?" she growled. "Almost? So now ya leave girls standin' at the altar! That ain't much better!"

Remy was amazed by the number of objects that she was managing to find in order to throw at him. Item after item was hurled with incredible accuracy at his head. _"Chere_, 's complicated," he tried to explain and blinked when a red box with a large biohazard logo came to a halt a mere inch from his nose. It floated back and he watched as it settled back down on a nearby table. With that no longer blocking his vision he could see that Rogue was now standing with her arms crossed over her chest glaring at the doorway for the interruption.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake," Professor Xavier said as he wheeled in followed by Jean. "And I take it that the two of you are taking the opportunity to discuss some of what transpired yesterday."

"Somet'in' like dat," Remy agreed shooting Rogue a glance. The girl just huffed and hugged herself tighter as she avoided looking anywhere near anyone else in the room.

"Ah thought ya said that Remy was immune ta mah powers," Rogue sniffed after a long beat of silence. She was staring at her Converse sneakers.

"He is, however, he was weakened at the time leaving him vulnerable. Once he's fully recovered, he should be immune once again," the professor said with confidence.

"But the damage is done," Rogue sighed finally looking up at the older man.

"Yes, you did absorb his memories. Perhaps a few that Remy had hoped to protect you from, but I'm sure with a little time that he two of you can come to terms with the past. Both of your pasts," the professor said emphasizing the last part.

The professor left and after a moment, Jean went as well. She seemed to hesitate as if Rogue would immediately begin throwing things again. When they were finally alone again, Remy gave Rogue a smirk. "What y' say we kiss an' make up?" he suggested.

"Yo' still weak, Swamp Rat. Ya wanna end up in a coma instead? Besides, Ah'm not sure Ah wanna go any deeper inta yo' head."

"Gambit don' have nothin' t' hide. Maybe it be worth it, _non_? Rip of de band-aid as dey say."

Rogue just sighed pressing a hand to her forehead before dropping back into her seat next to his bed. "Why don' we do it the ol' fashioned way. Tell meh 'bout her." Remy pushed himself up to sit without the aid of the pillows and before Rogue could react, he'd thrown his legs over the edge of the bed. She ran around the end of the bed and grabbed his arms to hold him back before he could actually slip off the bed to attempt standing. "What do ya think yo' doin'?"

"If dere's unpleasantness ta be discussed, I'd rat'er do it somewhere more pleasant," he said gazing up at her with his red on black eyes with a sincerity she couldn't ignore. She stepped back and helped him to stand up, supporting most of his weight across her shoulders. "_Où est ma chemise?_" he asked looking around until his gaze settled onto the tattered and stained ruins of his blue silk shirt. The shoulder had been completely ripped apart and it was now a dark, reddish brown color. "_Chute_. Do y' t'ink we can get me a new shirt first, _Chere_?"

She smiled and nodded as she wrapped an arm across his back and led him out of the medbay and to the elevator that would take them up to the student dorms. When they reached his bedroom she looked up at him to see that he was looking a little pale from their efforts but he was smiling just to be moving. "Are ya sure ya don' want ta jus' stay here? We can talk here," she offered.

"_Non_, fresh air sounds good." Remy didn't like the idea of resting any longer. He'd already been in a bed for nearly an entire day. The last thing he wanted to do was lie down anymore.

Rogue pushed open the door and Piotr nearly jumped at the interruption from his reading. "What are you doing out?" he asked setting his book aside as he stood up uncertainly. He didn't know if he should help Remy to sit or sling him over a shoulder and carry him back downstairs.

"Dey let Gambit out f' good behavior, _mon ami_."

"I highly doubt that," Piotr said shaking his head.

"Actually we came ta get him a clean shirt. Do ya think we could borrow one of yo's?" she asked indicating towards Remy's heavily bandaged shoulder. "Might be a bit easier ta get on if 's over-sized."

"Y' callin' Remy _petite_, _Chere_?" Remy asked raising an eyebrow and feeling just a little insulted.

"Sugah, everyone's _petite_ compared ta Piotr," she answered as she caught the shirt that Piotr had tossed in their direction. Remy had made a slight effort to try and grab it but he winced and Rogue was able to easily outreach him. "Jus' stand still," she instructed pulling the white t-shirt down over his head.

"Usually, I prefer when a _belle fille _undresses _moi_," Gambit said winking as his head popped through. Rogue just roughly moved his arm through the sleeve causing his smirk to fall into a wince instead.

"There, now yo' dressed again, happy?"

"_Très bien._"

Rogue shot Piotr a smile of thanks before sticking her head out into the hallway to make sure there weren't any other students out and about before she led Remy down the hall towards the main stairs and out the front door. They walked for a while in silence until they'd reached the edge of the woods where she'd first caught him stalking her.

"Her name's Bella Donna Boudreaux," Remy said so suddenly that Rogue was slightly startled by his voice breaking the silence. She looked up at him and frowned slightly. Having a name actually hadn't made it easier as she'd hoped it might have. "An we didn' actually get married, _Chere_. It was an arranged marriage dat was supposed t' bring de Assassin's Guild and T'ieve's Guild t' peace. But de mornin' of de weddin', _son frère_ challenged me t' a duel an' I killed him. I had t' leave N'Orleans 'cause of it. I haven' seen Bella Donna since den." Remy looked down at Rogue and there was something terribly sad in his eyes and she knew that he was pleading for her to understand.

When Rogue said nothing he scratched the back of his head thoughtfully before speaking again. "_Chere_, I know dis has t' be hard t' understand. But I didn' love her. _Elle est rien en comparaison de vous_."

"Ah jus' don' wanna be the girl ya date until ya make up yo' mind ta go back ta her," Rogue said stiffly, her face betraying none of the hurt she was actually feeling. "Ah ain't about ta get used by anyone else. Ah'm tired of it," she admitted.

_"Non_," Remy said said shaking his head. "Dere ain't no goin' back. I don't want t'. I want t' stay here wit' y', Marie."

Rogue melted a little at his sincerity and she sighed before going up on the balls of her feet to kiss him gently on the cheek. When nothing happened, Remy used his one good arm to pull her closer and kissed her on the lips. Standing there at the edge of the woods, Rogue managed to, at least temporarily, forget all of the bad memories that she'd gotten from Remy and instead, all of the good ones about her were all that came to the front of her mind.

As they parted, he gently tipped up her chin and gazed down into her eyes and smiled. "Ain't ne'er leavin' y', _Chere_. _Vous m'a sauvé de moi-même._"

Rogue sighed as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "An' you jus' keep savin' meh in general. Ah can' thank ya enough."


	9. Check Out the Sequel

**Check Out The Sequel**

I hope that you all enjoyed "New Beginnings". I had a lot of fun and a good challenge in rewriting this story to make it better fit into the X-Men Evolution timeline seeing as I'd originally written this story between seasons three and four. I'm currently working on the sequel, "School Daze" now which is now out!

I seriously apologize for the delay because the first chapter had a lot of timeline problems that needed to be sorted out. It's fluffy, but you wouldn't believe the number of issues I had in the fluff. Oye! But it's better now and hopefully the story will start to flow more from this point forward.

Also feel free to check out "When Everything Changes." This story centers around a powerful hydropath who joins the X-Men just after the show ended. So if there are any Sam Guthrie/Cannonball lovers out there, I think you'll enjoy this one a lot. The ROMYness will tie back into this story too. However, there's three more stories I have to write for ROMY before they tie together. So, lots of good ROMY times to come!


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